Emkf Improves Emergency Response Services in Kenya

The Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF) has improved the capacity of emergency response services in the country. The Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF) executive director Dr Benjamin Wachira they are strengthening emergency healthcare systems across all 47 counties in Kenya to save lives. Fifty seven people die in Kenya every hour. With a working emergency healthcare system, this number could potentially be reduced by half. Wachira said the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) was involved in capacity building of county governments health practitioners through training and setting up of ambulance dispatch centres and equipping of the ambulances with the necessary equipment. “We are an NGO supporting governments and emergency healthcare providers across Kenya to save lives by strengthening the emergency healthcare system through capacity building, knowledge development, advocacy and research,” he said. Speaking during the county leadership emergency care conference in Nairobi, Wachira said Kenya’s healthcare system continues to face immense challenges. “While we cannot transform it all at once, by focusing on one emergency department, one ambulance service, or one community health worker at a time, we are steadily reshaping emergency healthcare. Each step we take builds resilience where it matters most — and, most importantly, saves lives,” said Wachira. He said under EMKF’s Ambulensi program, the initiative addresses longstanding gaps in emergency response coordination across the county. “Ambulensi is already transforming emergency medical services in Kenya by enabling real-time ambulance dispatch with GPS tracking, digitised referral coordination, and the integration of standard operating procedures and clinical protocols, all designed to ensure faster, smarter, and more lifesaving emergency response,” he said. He said the organisation is empowering Community Health Promoters (CHPs) with lifesaving emergency care skills is vital to strengthening emergency medical services at the grassroots. The director said EMKF also partnered with the Social Health Authority (SHA) to initiate the operationalisation of the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF), which will ensure that all Kenyans can access life-saving emergency medical care regardless of their ability to pay. “We also strengthened service delivery by supporting 18 public emergency departments, launching a new dispatch centre in Taita Taveta, one of three public ambulance services supported this quarter, and trained 386 healthcare providers through our nationwide emergency medical care training programs,” he said.