Garissa County Teaching and Referral Hospital has placed its 10 ambulances under the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre initiative, a major step aimed at improving emergency medical response and patient referrals across North Eastern Kenya.
The integration forms part of a nationwide effort to strengthen Kenya’s emergency healthcare system through faster ambulance deployment, better coordination and improved access to life-saving care.
Members of the public can now dial 922 to request emergency medical assistance and be connected to the nearest available ambulance through the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre.
More than 200 ambulances accredited by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) have already been integrated into the national dispatch platform, with additional public and private ambulance providers expected to join as the network expands nationwide.
The hospital’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hussein Basheey, said emergency medical care begins long before a patient arrives at a health facility.
“Whether it is a road traffic accident, a complicated delivery, a stroke, severe bleeding, chest pain or any other life-threatening emergency, the first response starts the moment someone calls for help,” Basheey said.
The hospital’s ambulances, now integrated into the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre, will support round-the-clock emergency dispatch services, intelligent call management, clinical triage, real-time ambulance tracking and seamless coordination with receiving health facilities.
The integrated system is expected to reduce response times while ensuring patients receive timely and appropriate care.
For years, ambulance services in Kenya have largely operated independently across counties and healthcare providers, often resulting in delayed responses and limited coordination.
The National Ambulance Dispatch Centre seeks to address these challenges by providing a centralized platform for emergency calls, ambulance deployment, referrals and communication between dispatch teams, ambulance crews and hospitals.
Basheey said the initiative will improve the utilisation of public ambulance resources, strengthen referral systems and generate valuable data to support planning and investment in emergency medical services across the country.
He noted that an effective dispatch system depends on well-equipped ambulances, trained personnel, adequate maintenance, reliable fuel supplies and health facilities that are prepared to receive and stabilise patients.
The launch of the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre by President William Ruto marks a significant milestone in Kenya’s efforts to build a coordinated and responsive emergency healthcare system.
As part of the launch, President Ruto flagged off seven advanced ambulances equipped to provide Level 6 referral hospital-equivalent emergency and critical care services.
The ambulances were deployed to Nairobi, Wajir, Turkana, Lamu, Mandera, Nyeri and Kapenguria, strengthening emergency response capacity and expanding access to life-saving healthcare across the country.
The initiative is expected to enhance collaboration between the national government, county governments and development partners.
Garissa County Social Health Authority (SHA) Coordinator Hassan Halane said the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre represents a defining milestone in strengthening Kenya’s emergency, critical and operative care systems and reflects the Government’s commitment to building a modern, technology-enabled and people-centred health system under the Taifa Care agenda.
He said the investment in emergency healthcare will strengthen ambulance coordination, improve referral systems, reduce response times and ensure that every Kenyan has timely access to life-saving medical services regardless of their location.
The integration of Garissa County Teaching and Referral Hospital’s 10 ambulances into the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre is expected to enhance emergency response capacity across Northern Kenya, bringing faster, better-coordinated and life-saving medical services closer to the communities that need them most.
