Kenya has taken a significant step towards improving emergency healthcare services following the launch of the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre, the country’s first centralised emergency medical dispatch system designed to coordinate ambulance services across all 47 counties.
President William Ruto on Wednesday officially unveiled the facility at the Social Health Authority (SHA) headquarters in Nairobi, describing it as a major milestone in strengthening Kenya’s emergency medical response and ensuring faster access to lifesaving care.
The launch was attended by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, senior national and county government officials, healthcare leaders and development partners.
The new dispatch centre, accessible through the SHA 922 Lifeline, will serve as the country’s central command for emergency ambulance services. It will coordinate ambulance deployment, facilitate communication between emergency responders and hospitals, manage patient referrals and help ensure patients receive timely medical attention.
Health officials said the technology-driven platform is expected to significantly reduce delays in emergency response by linking ambulance crews, dispatch officers and health facilities through a single digital network.
The system incorporates emergency call management, clinical triage and a point-of-care application that allows ambulance crews to securely transmit patient information to hospitals while en route. Receiving facilities will also be able to prepare in advance for incoming patients through a real-time incident management system integrated with the National Health Information Exchange.
More than 200 ambulances accredited by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council have already been integrated into the system, with additional public and private ambulance providers expected to join the network in the coming months.
Operations at the dispatch centre will be managed by a team of 40 trained professionals, including doctors, medical officers, emergency dispatch officers and customer service personnel.
At the same time, President Ruto launched off seven state-of-the-art life support ambulances that are set to offer emergency and critical care facilities.
The ambulances have been allocated to Nairobi, Wajir, Turkana, Lamu, Mandera, Nyeri, and Kapenguria regions, which are anticipated to improve their emergency response capacity and gain better access to critical health care facilities.
According to the government, the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre is one of the measures that the government plans to adopt to enhance its emergency, critical and operative care by improving response time and refining the referral processes.
The event was coordinated by the CEO of Social Health Authority Dr. Mercy Mwangangi with the attendance of PS Dr Ouma Oluga, Mary Muthoni and Eng. John Tanui, Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Council of Governors chair Ahmed Abdullahi, Health Committee chair Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir, National Assembly Health Committee chair Dr James Nyikal, Senate Health Committee chair Jackson Mandago, Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross Ahmed Idris, chief executives of national referral hospitals among others.