The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ending preventable maternal deaths by pledging to make maternal emergency care a permanent part of Nigeria’s health system, rather than a short-term intervention.
According to it, the newly introduced Rural Emergency Service and Maternal Transport (RESMAT) initiative, aims to ensure that women in rural and hard-to-reach areas have reliable access to timely, lifesaving transport during pregnancy-related emergencies.
Dr Doubra Emuren, head of operations, National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), said this during a two-day workshop to review the World Bank-assisted IMPACT RESMAT project on advocacy and behavioural change communication tools.
Emuren described RESMAT as a timely, life-saving initiative focused on pregnant women in rural communities.
“RESMAT came into being as a solution. It does not negate the work of NEMSAS; rather, it strengthens and reinforces it by focusing specifically on maternal emergencies,” he said.
The NEMSAS head of operation said there was an urgent need for sustainable systems, stating, “We must institutionalise maternal emergency care as a permanent solution, not just a pilot.”
He said that the RESMAT programme was designed to address the three widely known delays that led to maternal mortality.
Emuren said these include the delay in deciding to seek care, the delay in reaching a health facility and the delay in receiving adequate care.
“The programme aims to reach 1.7 million pregnant rural dwellers in 15 states by December 2025.
“It will leverage a decentralised model that uses tricycle and boat ambulances, community-based emergency responders, voucher-based payment systems and dedicated ward-level emergency dispatchers,” he said.
Emuren said that RESMAT supported Nigeria’s broader goals under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Programme, including Universal Health Coverage (UHC), SWAp, and MAMI.
“This is not just a programme, it is a national movement to save mothers.
“Everyone, from policymakers to the local town crier, has a role to play,” he said.
The workshop participants stressed the importance of community ownership and culturally appropriate messaging.
They called for the integration of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) who remained vital first responders in rural settings.
“In places like Makoko and parts of Bauchi and Kano, TBAs are the first and often only accessible point of care.
“They must be part of the solution,” they said.
The workshop identified several risks to the programme’s success.
These include sociocultural resistance, poor infrastructure, insecurity, weak health systems and political transitions that could derail momentum.
To overcome these challenges, stakeholders recommended engaging local leaders and influencers, using native languages and local forums for communication, strengthening referral systems and data reporting and embedding maternal transport into state health financing frameworks.