In a major stride toward improving maternal and child health in Yobe State, the executive secretary of Yobe State Emergency Medical Ambulance Services (YEMABUS), Abdullahi Ali Danchua, has announced the official expansion of the Rural Emergency Services and Maternal Transport (RESMAT) initiative to four additional local government areas: Nangere, Jakusko, Bade, and Yusufari.
A statement from the agency’s information officer, Ibrahim Waziri, said the ES, who was speaking on the development, described the expansion as a timely and critical intervention aimed at tackling maternal and neonatal mortality, particularly in rural communities where access to skilled healthcare remains a pressing challenge.
Danchuwa noted that many expectant mothers still face life-threatening delays in reaching medical care, a gap the RESMAT project is strategically designed to close.
Implemented in collaboration with the National Emergency Medical Ambulance Services (NEMSAS), the Yobe State Ministry of Health, and the State Primary Health Care Management Board (SPHCB), the RESMAT initiative has already made a significant impact. Over 600 pregnant women and newborns experiencing complications have been safely transported to healthcare facilities under the programme.
Yobe State currently leads all seven implementing states in RESMAT performance. It tops the chart in overall coverage and response to women in labour, achieving an impressive 93% transport rate for labour-related cases.
The director of ambulance services of the agency, Dr Istifanus Dauda has while speaking explained that RESMAT is purpose-built to serve hard-to-reach and underserved areas by ensuring pregnant women have access to timely and life-saving healthcare through dedicated emergency transportation adding that the programme is not only bridging critical service delivery gaps but also saving lives and enhancing maternal health outcomes across the state.
