By Njeri Irungu
County health leaders have called for stronger coordination, improved infrastructure and increased investment in ambulance services to strengthen Emergency Medical Services (EMS) across Kenya. The call was made during a conference organised by the Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF), bringing together county officials and partners in emergency healthcare to share best practices on improving pre-hospital emergency services.
Speaking at the forum, Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation, Dr Gregory Ganda, said Kisumu County has made progress in strengthening emergency response systems in line with a commitment by Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o to provide free ambulance services.
Dr Ganda explained that the county established an Emergency Operations Centre in 2020 during the COVID-19 period, which hosts a centralised ambulance dispatch centre coordinating emergency responses across the county. He said the centre acts as a command hub managing ambulance deployment and emergency medical teams, improving coordination of emergency responses.
Kisumu currently operates a pool of 16 ambulances, 14 of which are functional, with three additional fully equipped ambulances planned in the current financial year. The county hopes to expand the fleet to at least 28 ambulances to reduce response times, especially in remote areas where emergency response can take up to 90 minutes from the time a call is made to when a patient reaches hospital.
Meanwhile, Kericho County Executive Committee Member for Health Services, David Ekuwan, said the conference offered counties an opportunity to exchange knowledge on strengthening emergency medical services and improving emergency response systems.
In Kericho County, Ekuwan said emergency care is integrated across health facilities, with several public and private institutions offering emergency services. The county also operates a dedicated emergency contact number residents can call to request ambulance services.
He added that Kericho has partnered with private providers such as Browns International to support emergency transport in tea estate areas, while also developing a policy framework and training health workers with support from EMKF to strengthen the county’s emergency response system.
EMKF Director of Programs and Government Relations, Emily Nyagake, said the foundation is working with all 47 counties to strengthen emergency healthcare systems through policy development, improved infrastructure and capacity building.
She noted that 12 counties currently have operational dispatch centres coordinating pre-hospital services, more than 20 counties have developed policies on pre-hospital care, while 32 counties have started allocating funds for emergency healthcare services in their budgets.
