The Minister responsible for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, has appealed to various transport stakeholders to cooperate with the revamped National Ambulance Service especially on the roads to make it efficient and effective.
The Minister made the appeal at the commissioning of 307 ambulances by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the independence square in Accra. The National Ambulance Service which had seen little developments in the last 10 years has welcomed a committed effort by the incumbent govt to resource and revitalize the service.
Speaking at the commissioning event, the Health Minister said the country was building a holistic emergency response system and not just the revamped ambulances. He called for the cooperation with the ambulance service with other transportation stakeholders to ensure an effective emergency health care delivery.
The Minister for special development initiatives Hawa Koomson under who ministry oversaw the $1 million dollar per constituency expressed her delight at the turn of events.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Ambulance Service, Prof Ahmed Nuhu Zakariah, said the acquisition is a timely one as it will help solve the issue of access to faster medical attention. He said the 145 new stations are the highest single addition in the history of ambulance service in Ghana.
He stated that 307 is the highest fleet in the history of the procurement of ambulances for emergency healthcare in Africa.
Out of the 307 ambulances, 275 will go to the constituencies, with the remaining ones going to other hospitals, high risk emergency areas nationwide and the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).