The Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, says whereas about 79 of the 307 ambulances which were imported in 2020 have broken down, 12 others have been involved in accidents.
This brings the total number of ambulances which are currently not operational to 91.
Speaking during a debate on the budget estimates for the Ministry of Health, Mr. Akandoh described the trend as worrying.
“In 2022, the National Ambulance Service recorded not less than 41,000 cases; in 2023, as at the time they appeared before us, they had recorded only 27,000 cases.
“Mr. Speaker, as I have read from the report, out of about GH¢67 million in allocation, they have received only GH¢20 million.
“Mr. Speaker, out of the 307 ambulances that were imported into this country in 2020, about 79 have completely broken down and are not in operation, and about 12 have been involved in accidents. All in all, about 91 of the ambulances are not in operation, and if we continue this way, four years from now, we will not have any ambulances left in the fleet.”
He further called on government to provide the necessary funding for the National Ambulance Service to address the numerous challenges facing the institution.
Background
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 commissioned and distributed some 307 ambulances procured to help augment operations of the National Ambulance Service (NAS).
The new ambulances are to be distributed in all 275 constituencies in Ghana in fulfilment of the government’s 2016 election campaign to help improve emergency healthcare delivery.
The programme is under the Ministry of Special Development Initiative christened, “One Constituency, One Ambulance”.
Speaking at the ceremony to commission the ambulances in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said 145 new ambulance stations have been created to bring to 275 the total number of ambulances stations in Ghana.
“Government is committed to ensuring an effective Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to help improve our country’s emergency response capabilities,” the president said.
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