President William Ruto has officially launched Kenya’s National Ambulance Dispatch Centre at the Social Health Authority (SHA) headquarters, marking a major milestone in the country’s emergency healthcare system. The government says the facility will transform emergency response by coordinating medical evacuations and disaster response across all 47 counties.
At the heart of the facility is a 24-hour command centre that will coordinate nearly 600 ambulances across the country, ensuring faster response to medical emergencies, natural disasters and man-made incidents. Officials say the system is designed to bridge the gap between life and death by getting patients to the right care in the shortest time possible.
Under the new system, members of the public will dial 922 to request emergency assistance. Trained medical dispatchers will immediately conduct a clinical triage before using satellite and GPS technology to identify and dispatch the nearest available ambulance. The digital platform tracks ambulance availability in real time, with green indicating available units and red showing those already engaged.
Unlike conventional emergency response systems, the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre will not automatically direct patients to the nearest hospital. Instead, it monitors real-time hospital bed capacity and the availability of specialised care, allowing ambulances to transport patients to the facility best equipped to manage their specific emergency.
The service will only cover life-threatening emergencies, including severe road traffic injuries, acute cardiac events, stroke, severe respiratory distress, acute poisoning and critical obstetric emergencies such as complicated labour.
Financially, the government says the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund will fully cover ambulance transport and emergency stabilisation procedures during the first 24 hours of treatment. After the initial stabilisation period, registered SHA members will continue receiving care under their primary health benefits, while non-registered patients will transition to the standard hospital billing system or be registered at the point of care.
Health sector stakeholders have welcomed the initiative but caution that technology alone will not guarantee success. They say strict adherence to emergency protocols, public awareness and compliance by health facilities will be critical to ensuring the system delivers timely and effective emergency care.
With the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre now operational around the clock, the government says no Kenyan should be denied emergency medical care because of their financial status.
