Each of the 275 constituencies in the country is a beneficiary
The over 300 ambulances procured by the government of Ghana to boost the emergency healthcare service in the country will be commissioned today for usage by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The ambulances will be dispatched to the 275 constituencies nationwide from today, with over 300 emergency medical technicians, drivers and support staff as well as 30 dispatchers.
Since the establishment of the Ghana National Ambulance Service by the Kufuor administration in 2004, with some 10 ambulances and seven stations, emergency health care has, in recent years, virtually ground to a halt. This has left the ambulance service with some 55 ambulances functioning currently and a handful of emergency medical technicians.
Pre-election commitments
Briefing the media on Sunday in Accra, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, said the move is in consonance with the pre-election commitments to improve healthcare delivery.
“The Akufo-Addo administration has invested in this boost and expects it to augment other efforts at improving health delivery in Ghana,” the Minister said.
Personnel
Mr Oppong Nkrumah added that clearance has been given for 575 emergency medical technicians to be recruited for the National Ambulance Service. He said out of the number, 450 have already been recruited.
The Minister announced that the training of about 50 paramedic trainers, drawn from across all the regions in the country, has also ended successfully.
In addition to this, 300 emergency medical technician drivers, drawn from across all the ambulance stations in the country, have also been given necessary training. Thirty dispatchers have also benefitted from a training on the tracking devices and dispatch operations systems.
The Minister further disclosed that the initial deployments of EMT staff are drawn from this and previous staff, adding that some 900 staff have received clearance to be recruited.
