NATIONAL emergency medical services (NEMS), a comprehensive system aimed at ensuring life-critical care in road accidents or maternal complications begins at the scene will soon be unveiled.
Dr.Erasto
Silvanus, the director of emergency and disaster services for the Health
ministry, said in an exclusive interview recently that the country is poised to
revolutionise its emergency health response with the launch of the new system/
Upon its being rolled out, it is designed to ensure that every
person facing a health emergency, whether from a traffic accident or a medical
crisis receives timely, life-saving care from the point of injury to the health
facility.
He said that emergency systems will be billed into Universal
Health Coverage (UHC) as part of its wider agenda, in pursuing government
commitment to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“The system is meant to deliver decisive intervention when every
second counts—resuscitating, stabilizing and transporting patients from the
incident site to health facilities swiftly and efficiently, saving lives across
all emergencies,” he explained.
He affirmed that Tanzania faces a critical public health
challenge, with one of the highest road traffic fatality rates in sub-Saharan
Africa, having 16 deaths per 100,000 people dying on the roads each year. Many
victims lose their lives at the scene or during transport to healthcare
facilities due to insufficient pre-hospital care, he specified.
To align the situation with the UN decade of action for road
safety seeking to reduce traffic-related deaths by at least 50 percent by 2030,
the government is expanding preventive road safety measures and pre-hospital
emergency care systems, he further noted.
“NEMS is not just for road
traffic accidents,” he said, pointing at its vocation to serve all health
emergencies—women in labour, children in distress, people suffering strokes or
heart attacks, along with other urgent conditions. The goal is to save lives
before patients even reach a hospital,” he stressed.
Recognising the importance of rural access, ambulance bases will
be placed strategically along highways and at key health centres. Dispatch
centres will be set up in each region at referral hospitals, he said.
Police, firefighters and community first responders, including
motorcycle riders—are being trained in basic first aid and trauma care, with
plans to scale up training to volunteers in schools, stadiums, markets and
other public spaces, he stated.
The national emergency hotline, 115, has been introduced, starting
with maternal emergencies and set for expansion to handle all types of
emergencies, while general health education will be accessed via the 199
toll-free number, he said.
The ministry is also finalising national guidelines and protocols
for out-of-hospital care, including ambulance operations and mass casualty
responses, he said, pointing out that the World Health Organisation (WHO)
recommends one ambulance per 50,000 people.
This translates to 1,666 ambulances nationwide with Tanzania
apparently on track to meet this requirement by 2027 as at present the
government disposes of 1,267 ambulances he said.
“We expect to see at least a 25 percent reduction in
trauma-related deaths once this system is fully implemented,” he said, hinting
that when combined with strong hospital care, these numbers will improve even
more.
Over the past four years, the government has significantly
expanded emergency care infrastructure, with 125 emergency departments set up
countrywide, including 86 at district hospitals where 1,267 functional
ambulances are currently available, up from just 540 in 2022. About 28 new
intense care units (ICUs) have been constructed in district hospitals and 45 in
referral hospitals, he said, asserting that emergency departments are now
equipped with ventilators, digital X-rays, ultrasound equipment and CT
scanners.
Zonal blood banks ensure timely blood supply for trauma and
surgical emergencies while emergency specialists are now available nationwide,
he stated, elaborating that 95 emergency medicine specialists currently serve
in referral hospitals, along with 272 trauma and orthopedic surgeons.
These specialists along with general surgeons are posted across
regions and over 3,500 nurses and doctors have received training in basic
emergency care and life support while a new paramedic cadre is being developed
to handle emergencies outside hospitals, especially in ambulances, he added.
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