The Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) achieved a 97.5% response rate between 2021 and 2025, attending to 44,152 out of 45,277 emergency calls.
Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, revealed that the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) has made significant strides in emergency healthcare delivery.
She disclosed this in a statement signed on Thursday by Mr. Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director of Public Affairs at the State Ministry of Health.
The data followed a review of LASAMBUS operations and performance reports.
Ogunyemi said urgent public support was needed to sustain and improve LASAMBUS’s life-saving operations.
She noted that 36,919 patients were treated during the review period, including 11,200 in 2023 alone, reflecting the team’s consistent responsiveness even during peak demand.
Zero in-transit deaths, higher survival rates recorded
Highlighting improved outcomes, she said LASAMBUS recorded zero in-transit deaths in 2022 and 2025 due to robust triage systems, prompt stabilization, and the professionalism of its paramedics.
She also reported a remarkable 100% survival rate of patients transported in 2025, compared to 60% in 2021.
“This is a reflection of improved pre-hospital care in Lagos State,” Ogunyemi said.
She added that LASAMBUS executed 931 field assignments over the past four years, with 350 completed in 2024 alone, attributing this to increased public health campaigns and readiness drills.
Challenges: Vandalism, assaults, and traffic obstruction
Ogunyemi expressed concern about challenges affecting LASAMBUS operations, including impersonation, vandalism of assets, assault on personnel, and lack of public cooperation in traffic situations.
She appealed to residents to give ambulances the right of way and avoid obstructing emergency operations.
“Every second counts in an emergency. Obstructions can cost lives,” she warned.
She further cautioned the public against fraudulent individuals posing as LASAMBUS officials and advised that authentic ambulance services could be reached by dialling 767 or 112.
Condemning rising incidents of ambulance vandalism and attacks on emergency personnel, Ogunyemi described such acts as criminal and dangerous to patients who depended on urgent medical intervention.
The Special Adviser revealed that a proposal to upgrade LASAMBUS from a department to a full-fledged agency was currently being reviewed by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to enhance operational autonomy and coordination.
Providing historical insight, Ogunyemi explained that LASAMBUS had grown from a modest unit with 21 staff and four station wagons in 2001 to a robust emergency system with 36 Mobile ICUs, three mobile clinics, and five transport ambulances.
“The service currently operates from four major bases and 26 ambulance points across Lagos, designed to ensure proximity and speed in emergency response,” she said.
On staffing, she disclosed that LASAMBUS employed 196 personnel, including 64 nurses, 74 community health extension workers, 70 trained ambulance pilots, and support staff, forming a multidisciplinary emergency response team.
According to her, all staff are certified in Basic Life Support and First Aid, with 75 per cent certified in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, ensuring readiness to manage critical emergencies.
Ongoing infrastructure upgrades across the State
Ogunyemi also highlighted recent renovations at the ambulance bases in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, General Hospital Lagos, General Hospital Ikorodu, and General Hospital Badagry.
She added that the state was constructing a new ambulance base at Eti-Osa Mother and Child Centre.
This is happening alongside the upgrading of five ambulance points located at Old Lagos-Ibadan Toll Gate, Eti-Osa, Anthony, Third Mainland Bridge, and Mile 12.
The projects are funded by the Saving One Million Lives Programme for Results.
