By Agbaxode Emmanuel
Akatsi (V/R), Aug. 15, GNA – Mr Japhet Festus Gbede, the Assembly Member of Wuxor, Have and Sremanu Electoral Area in the Akatsi South Municipality, has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama, over the prolonged absence of a functional ambulance in the Municipality.
Mr Gbede, who is also a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communications Team, said Akatsi South had been without a functional ambulance since 2019, describing the situation as an unacceptable public health emergency requiring immediate government intervention.
The petition, copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), indicated that the action followed repeated appeals and interventions by stakeholders, including the Member of Parliament for Akatsi South and the Municipal Chief Executive, towards securing an ambulance for the Municipality.
Mr Gbede questioned why Akatsi South continued to be without the essential emergency medical resource while other constituencies across the country had received ambulances.
He said residents should not be exposed to the possibility of losing loved ones simply because the State had failed to provide an ambulance for timely emergency transportation.
Mr Gbede stressed that his demand should not be interpreted through a partisan lens, arguing that the provision of emergency healthcare transcended political affiliation.
“The provision of an ambulance must never be reduced to a matter of political affiliation. An ambulance does not belong to the NDC, the New Patriotic Party or any other political organisation. It belongs to the people and exists to preserve human life,” he stated.
He said his membership of the NDC Communications Team did not prevent him from demanding action from an NDC government when the welfare of his constituents was at stake.
Mr Gbede also drew attention to the electoral support Akatsi South gave President Mahama and the NDC in the 2024 general election, saying the Municipality’s strong support should reinforce the urgency with which the President responded to the situation.
“The people of Akatsi South have demonstrated their confidence in President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC. It is therefore only appropriate that the President personally intervenes to ensure that this long-standing challenge is resolved,” he argued.
Mr Gbede warned that the government must not wait for another avoidable tragedy before acting.
He said the absence of an ambulance had placed residents at unnecessary risk, particularly patients requiring urgent transfer to higher medical institutions.
He cited severe trauma, stroke, complications arising from childbirth, respiratory distress, serious injuries and cardiac complications as some emergencies requiring immediate transportation, warning that delays could have fatal consequences.
“Our people are dying every day,” Mr Gbede said, insisting that the matter should no longer be treated as an ordinary administrative issue.
He said families were sometimes forced to scramble for taxis, motorbikes, private vehicles and other alternatives during emergencies, when every passing minute could determine whether a patient survived.
The situation had persisted for nearly seven years despite repeated appeals, making it difficult to justify continued inaction, he said.
Mr Gbede therefore called on President Mahama to personally intervene and direct the immediate provision of a fully functional ambulance to the Akatsi South Municipality.
He said the government had a responsibility to ensure equitable access to essential emergency healthcare services across the country and should not allow Akatsi South to remain disadvantaged.
“The people of Akatsi South are citizens of Ghana, and their lives must carry the same value, dignity and urgency as every other Ghanaian life,” he stated.
He added that the patience of the people should not be mistaken for acceptance, stressing that several petitions, appeals and interventions had already been made without resolving the problem.
“I respectfully demand action, not another promise,” the petition concluded.
The petition was copied to other relevant stakeholders in authority.
Checks by the GNA also revealed that Akatsi South is currently left with no functioning ambulance.
Mr Daniel Dagba, the Municipal Chief Executive for the area, has on some occasions, explained that he was making frantic efforts with authorities in Accra to resolve the issue.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo
Reporter: Agbaxode Emmanuel
Email: [email protected]