The Akwa Ibom State Government has warned that any ambulance caught conveying corpses to burial sites will be impounded, as the state moves to enforce a new law prohibiting the use of emergency medical vehicles for transporting the dead.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem John, issued the warning on Thursday during the monthly media briefing organised by the Ministry of Information in Uyo.

John said the prohibition covers all ambulances operating in the state, irrespective of ownership, including government, privately owned and mission-operated ambulances.

He said the government had drawn a distinction between emergency medical services and funeral transportation, insisting that corpses must be conveyed in hearses.

“You will not find any government ambulance at any burial site,” the commissioner said, adding that the use of ambulances to transport corpses could constitute a public-health threat.

John said the measure formed part of broader reforms aimed at repositioning the state’s emergency medical response system and ensuring that ambulances remain available for patients requiring urgent medical attention.

According to him, the Akwa Ibom State Emergency Medical Service Ambulance System, which began as a government policy, has now been established as an agency through legislation.

He described the development as one of the most significant reforms in the state’s health sector under Governor Umo Eno.

The commissioner said the state had, over the past one year and six months, worked to bring its ambulance operations in line with standards obtainable in developed countries.

He stressed that the new rule would be enforced across the board, warning that neither private operators nor religious missions would be exempt.

John spoke alongside the Commissioner for Information, Hon. Aniekan Umana, and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ekerete Udoh.