By Isaac Arkoh
Cape Coast, May 15, GNA – A timely provision of car parts and other auxiliary medical equipment by Mr James Gyakye Quayson, the Assin North Member of Parliament (MP) has brought the district’s Ambulance that had been grounded for weeks, back on the road.
The items are new vehicle tyres to replace worn-out ones as well as various adjustable beds to aid in-patient, transportation and referrals.
The Ambulance serves more than 58 communities through its digitised management system, integrated with the national digital property addressing system.
It had been grounded due to faulty vehicle tyres, creating a huge vacuum in residents’ health emergency services.
Numerous appeals to the District Assembly and other corporate entities to support the maintenance of the ambulance had fallen on death ears.
Alternatively, residents in difficult-to-reach communities, had to resort to the services of private facilities in responding to serious health emergencies at exorbitant prices.
Others had to rely on services from adjoining districts like the Adansi South District in the Ashanti Region, the Assin Fosu Municipality, the Birim South District in the Eastern Region and Twifo Atti-Morkwa District in the Central Region.
Handing over the items on behalf of the MP, Mr Sylvester Amakye Nyarkoh, the National Democratic Congress’ Elections and Director of Communications for the Assin North Constituency, emphasised the MP’s commitment to improving the welfare of residents.
That he said, manifested in his quick response to the Service’s request to ensure an effective emergency, medical service to help improve the district’s emergency response capabilities.
Expressing the Service’s ordeal, Mr Obed Adu Sarkodie, the Advance Emergency Medical Technologist (AEMT) in the district was grateful to the MP for the gesture.
“We are happy to note that the wait is eventually over, and the ambulance is now fit for purpose and ready for use. We need such support to provide pre-hospital emergency care to accident victims’ road traffic, domestic, industrial and medical cases.
“We provide stand-by emergency cover at mass public meetings and liaise with other emergency services in times of disaster or mass casualty incidents,” he indicated and urged the constituents to keep supporting and praying for him to facilitate ongoing development projects.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the year 2020 commissioned and distributed 307 ambulances to help augment operations of the Service.
The new ambulances were distributed in all 275 constituencies in Ghana in fulfilment of the government’s 2016 election campaign to help improve emergency healthcare delivery.
The Ministry of Health before the commissioning of the 307 ambulances, there were only 50 functioning ambulances.
GNA