Nigeria, Feb. 10 -- Not long ago, in Yobe State, Fatima, a young mother, experienced severe labour complications late at night. Her husband, Ahmed, fearing the worst, dialled the local emergency number. Within minutes, a State NEMSAS-dispatched ambulance arrived at their doorstep, equipped with a trained paramedic. Fatima was stabilised and transported swiftly to the nearest maternal health care centre, where she delivered a healthy baby. Without this intervention, she may have been another tragic statistic. Instead, she is now part of a growing number of Nigerians who have directly benefited from the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS).

Fatima's story is one among thousands. For decades, preventable deaths o...