Ambulensi EMS Conference 2026 charts the future of public emergency medical response in Kenya to save lives
PHOTO: Dr. Andrew Toro Director of Curative & Nursing Services Ministry of health who opened the two-day conference
NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – The Ambulensi EMS Conference 2026 opens in Nairobi, the strategic forum focused on advancing coordinated, effective public emergency response systems nationwide brings together government leaders, EMS professionals, and partners committed to strengthening public ambulance services in Kenya to save lives.
Dr. Andrew Toro Director of Curative & Nursing Services Ministry of Health who opened the two-day conference emphasized the critical role of coordinated EMS in saving lives.
“Every day, thousands of Kenyans face life-threatening emergencies, from road traffic injuries to obstetric complications and acute medical conditions, Strengthening emergency medical services is not just about increasing the number of ambulances it is about building systems that connect communities, ambulances, and hospitals to deliver timely, lifesaving care,” said Dr Toro.
Additionally, reflecting on the need for multisectoral collaboration, Dr Toro added, Strengthening emergency healthcare systems cannot be achieved by the government alone.
“It requires strong partnerships between national and county governments, healthcare professionals, training institutions, the private sector, and development partners. Platforms like this conference allow us to showcase innovations, share best practices, and build the partnerships necessary to save lives”, He added.
“When EMS systems are well structured, emergencies move seamlessly from recognition to response, stabilisation and safe transfer, ensuring patients reach the care they need in time, Strengthening public ambulance services, therefore, means strengthening the systems that make timely, coordinated emergency medical care possible”.
The launched Mobile Ambulensi App new aspect a free mobile application now connects ambulance systems across 12 Kenyan counties, enabling seamless coordination that promises to dramatically cut emergency response times and save thousands of lives when fully adopted nationwide.
The Ambulensi App developed by the Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation, integrates county ambulance fleets through a single platform featuring real-time GPS tracking, intelligent dispatching and instant patient information transfer.
Further, It provides counties with a cost-effective, holistic solution for strengthening public ambulance services, Unlike traditional systems that burden governments with expensives oftware development, installation, and depoymentfees.
It has been tested in 12 county hospitals dispatch center that are coordinating pre-hospital services and about 20 hospitals that have developed policies on pre-hospital care ,32 counties have included emergency healthcare services in county budgets.
Ms Emily Nyagaki, Director programs and Government relations, Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF) in her opening remarks highlighted that the two-day conference is looking at how counties, sharing their practices with colleagues in ways which they have been able to improve their pre-hospital care services.
“The meeting discussion centre’s on policies around pre-hospital care, infrastructure which include ambulance emergency care, resources, The best thing is pure learning and discussing way forward to see how they can improve the pre-hospital care services “, said Ms Nyagaki.
According to Dr. David Ekuwam, CEC Health Kericho county highlighted strides the county is taking noting that kericho has about nine medical facilities that are able to offer emergency medical services promptly with level 1 and 3 part of ensuring that emergency medical services are intergrated into their normal services, with 9 facilities 8 public health facilities while 1 private heath facility that is able to offer emergency medical services as well.
“In Kericho County we have a toll free number that is up and running, with the facilities spread across all the six sub counties including tea estates, we only have basic life support ambulances and in process of procuring life advanced life support ambulances with the support of emergency medicine foundation we have been able to develop an emergency medical plan”, said Dr. Ekuwam
He added that the longest one can be able to get emergency attendance within 60 minutes and take them to the nearest facilities, For care and training have been done in 3 facilities supported by EMF to ensure that all the facilities are adequately covered.
Tana River CEC Health Mr. Joshua Jara during the meeting expressed gratitude to Emergency Medicine Foundation noting that since partnership sensitization has improved and have assisted in terms of thinking through processes and standards and policies which have greatly impacted to come up with a plan.
“Tana River County is scarcely populated with under 500,000 inhabitants with 96 facilities both government and private of which 60 facilities are public and about 20 ambulances operating to serve all the area, the area normally experience floods posing a big challenge in movement of patients from one point to another, the partnership has proven to be more fruitful as in terms of services has greatly improved”, He said.
According to Dr. Gregory Ganda Health CEC Kisumu county lauded the conference strategic focus noting that they have two types of ambulances in Kisumi with some being four-wheel drive vehicles, the land cruisers and have the typical Nissan or the normal bodies, which are for main highways.
As for now Kisumu county have a pool of 16 ambulances 14 of which are functioning asset today with the financial year they have budgeted for three new fully equipped Ambulances.
“We are hoping to have at least 28 ambulances so that we are able to respond faster, for very far-flung places, our response time is almost 90 minutes, that response time is not the time taken to get there, but from the time you make a call to the time you are picked until you reach the hospital, sometimes it goes up to 90 minutes So to reduce this gap, it means that we need more ambulances placed in strategic places”, He said.
Ambulensi empowers counties to; comprehensive and sustainable solution that empowers counties to provide faster,safer and more Intelligent resource allocation to assign the right crew and equipment for each emergency.
By integrating digital innovation, operational support and clinical guidance, Ambulensi delivers aestimated arrival times. Drive accountability through comprehensive data capture and reporting on performance,costs, and outcomes.
Track resources in real time with GPS monitoring of ambulance availability, location and Built-in clinical SOPs and protocols that support EMTs and paramedics in delivering Coordinate ambulances centrally through county-run dispatch centres. Streamline referrals to ensure patients are transferred to the most appropriate faciity on time.
The Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation noted that there is need for improvement in the emergency healthcare system in Kenya, as many people die from preventable causes due to a lack of timely and effective emergency medical care.
By providing emergency healthcare services with infrastructure, equipment and processes, we can improve the quality and efficiency of emergency medical care delivery.
Training and educational resources to healthcare workers and the public, we can enhance the knowledge and skills of emergency medical care providers and increase awareness and demand for emergency medical care among the population.
National and county governments and stakeholders by working together can influence the development and implementation of policies and frameworks that support universal access to emergency medical care in Kenya.
Fostering collaborations and partnerships, we can promote and encourage the study, research and advancement of the science and practice of emergency medical care in Kenya.
“By integrating digital innovation, operationals upport,and clinical guidance, Ambulensi delivers acomprehensive and sustainable solution that empowers counties to provide faster, safer, and more accountable public ambulance services”.
