Final preparations are underway for the launch of Kenya’s first National Ambulance Dispatch Centre (NADC), a facility expected to coordinate ambulance services across the country through a central command system.
Located at the Social Health Authority (SHA) headquarters in Nairobi, the dispatch centre will serve as a coordination hub for emergency medical evacuations, linking ambulance operators, hospitals and emergency responders to facilitate faster and more coordinated responses to medical emergencies.
The Authority on Wednesday, July 15, said preparations for the facility’s unveiling were in the final stages.
"The countdown is on. Final preparations are in full swing for the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre, bringing Kenya closer to faster, coordinated emergency medical response," SHA said in a statement.
The announcement comes a day after senior SHA officials inspected the facility to assess its readiness ahead of the official launch later this month.
The inspection was led by SHA Director of Corporate Services and focused on reviewing the centre’s operational systems, infrastructure and preparedness to begin coordinating emergency ambulance services nationwide.
The dispatch centre has been fitted with communication and monitoring systems that will enable trained dispatch officers to receive emergency calls, identify the nearest available ambulance and coordinate deployment to patients requiring urgent medical attention.
Officials say the facility will operate as a national command centre, bringing together ambulance providers from public, private, faith-based and mission hospitals under a single coordinated emergency response framework.
As part of the preparations, SHA has intensified the onboarding of ambulance providers into the programme.
The Authority recently invited healthcare providers that own, operate or are affiliated with ambulance services to participate in training ahead of the rollout of the SHA Ambulance Evacuation Programme.
According to SHA, the training is designed to equip participating facilities with the operational requirements needed to integrate into the NADC.
Participants are being trained on ambulance dispatch and coordination through NADC, operational requirements for joining the programme, clinical and operational service standards, claims submission and reimbursement procedures, documentation and reporting requirements, as well as the roles and responsibilities of participating healthcare providers.
The Authority urged public, private, faith-based and mission hospitals with ambulance services to nominate officers involved in emergency medical services, ambulance operations and facility administration to attend the training.
The latest exercise follows an earlier call by SHA urging ambulance owners across the country to onboard their ambulances onto the NADC to create a nationwide emergency response network.
President William Ruto first announced the establishment of the dispatch centre while presiding over the 85th St John’s Ambulance Annual Parade at State House, Nairobi, on June 21.
At the time, the President described the project as a landmark investment that would modernise emergency medical response through technology.
"Kenya will launch its first National Ambulance Dispatch Centre, which is scheduled to be launched at the end of July," Ruto said.
He said the centre would leverage technology to facilitate real-time deployment of ambulances and improve coordination among emergency service providers across the country.
According to the President, the dispatch centre is expected to coordinate approximately 100,000 emergency evacuations every year, making it one of the significant reforms under the government’s healthcare agenda.
"It will do real-time deployment and emergency response. Every Kenyan who requires emergency evacuation will get it free of charge," Ruto said.
The initiative is expected to address delays associated with emergency referrals by ensuring that the nearest available ambulance is dispatched once a distress call is received.
Health officials say the system will also improve communication between ambulance crews and receiving hospitals, allowing medical facilities to prepare before patients arrive.
NADC is part of broader reforms under SHA aimed at strengthening emergency healthcare services and ensuring access to life-saving medical interventions.
Once operational, the facility will work closely with county governments, emergency responders, hospitals and licensed ambulance providers to deliver coordinated emergency evacuation services across the country.
The government says the new system will improve response times, enhance accountability, resource utilisation and the quality of emergency medical care, ensuring that Kenyans in need of urgent evacuation can access timely assistance regardless of their location.
