Patients are usually referred to the Regional Hospital, Koforidua, and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and 37 Military Hospital, both in Accra.

But the patients are not transported in ambulances but usually in commercial vehicles popularly known as trotro.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ZiDRgqWW1BaaN0rrP7v64Xr97UrbGC2a”]In the trotro, oxygen cylinders are either carried on or tied to a passenger seat to provide first aid and cardiovascular support for patients who are put on the hand-held drip.

Unlike an ambulance fitted with paramedic apparatus such as a stretcher to protect patients from further injuries during transportation, family members sit side by side the patients in the commercial vehicle to hold the patient firmly to his/her seat, while ensuring the oxygen mask and drip do not remove.

This inconvenient means of transporting critically ill patients has become the order of the day in the region, particularly in Lower Manya Krobo area, which is an improvised means to save lives as all the ambulances in the region, except one at Berogo, have broken down.

The stations with broken down ambulances are Koforidua, Kpong, Nkawkaw, Suhum, Kade, Kibi, Akim Oda and Mampong.

The others are Mpraeso, Nsawam, Donkokrom, New Abirem, Anyinam, Abetifi, Asamankese and Somanya.

Reactions by Health Officials

Reacting to the development, the head of administration at the Atua Government Hospital, Mr Ghartey Frimpong, said, “in fact, it hasn’t been easy, but what we do on our part is that we try our best to transport them in pick-ups. We try our best to ensure that we save lives. What we do is that we put the oxygen cylinder in the bucket of the pick-up and pass the oxygen tube through the door tied to be connected to the patient.”

He said the location of the hospital makes it a referral centre for most accident cases.

The administrator explained that sometimes they rely on Dodowa and Volta Region, which are hours away, for ambulance when overwhelmed with emergencies, but they are not always lucky to get the ambulance service.

The Medical Director of St. Martins De Porres Hospital at Agormanya, Dr Gospel Agamah, also expressed worry that “we don’t have ambulance, the whole municipality, no working ambulance, that is how bad it is. Patients who are fortunate to have relatives with private cars, we allow them to transport patients during referrals, which is risky but we allow them. Others pick passenger vehicles to referral hospitals.”

The Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Akosua Owusu Sarpong, also lamented that the gains of the municipal health directorate were being eroded by the lack of ambulance services.

According to her, some deaths recorded could have been avoided if emergency medical service delivery had been available.

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Source: Daily Heritage

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Captain Smart, who also hosts Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem has a mandate of leading a team to solicit for support and resources for the Ambulance Service which is said to be under-resourced.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health, Tina Gifty Mensah, said the resources Captain Smart and his team would generated will be used to procure new ambulances to enhance the country’s emergency response capabilities.

She said five major areas have been identified as being key to improving the service.

These include: procurement of new ambulances to argument the current fleet and to open more ambulance stations in the country; upgrade and construction of new facilities at the Paramedic and Emergency Care Training Schools to scale up scope of training; Procurement of equipment and upgrade of the NAS Emergency Dispatch Centre to improve the emergency toll free line 193 and the procurement of medical equipment and training materials to enhance training and support for capacity building to improve quality care.

“In representing the service, the Ambassador would as and when necessary be in the Emergency Medical Technician Uniform. He would also be assigned an Emergency Medical Technician who would work closely with him,” she added.

Captain Smart who was grateful for the honour promised to put in his best in ensuring that the dream to which he was appointed was realized.

Ghana’s emergency services poor

Ghana has one of the poorest emergency services with very few ambulances that struggle to move through congested streets in cases of an emergency.

The inefficiency of the emergency system, has encouraged the practice where private cars and sometimes taxicabs become the alternative ambulance in case of emergency.

In most cases, the inefficiencies have led to the loss of precious lives as it happened in the Kintampo-Tamale accident in 2016 which claimed over 60 lives and left 25 others injured.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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