“We Carry Only the Sick and Injured”: National Ambulance Service Clarifies
- The National Ambulance Service has clarified that they only transport sick and injured people and not the dead
- According to Daniel Asare, the Greater Accra Regional Manager, they will lose the public's trust if they transport the dead
- He also cautioned the general public to desist from making prank calls to the National Ambulance Service
Ghana’s top stories, now easier to find. Discover our new search feature!
Daniel Asare, the Greater Accra Regional Manager of the National Ambulance Service, has clarified the role of the ambulance services in the health sector.
The Regional Manager clarified that the National Ambulance Service only transports sick and injured people. He emphasised that they do not transport dead people.
Source: Facebook
In an interview with Accra-based Channel One TV, Daniel Asare said the public often gets confused about their role. He indicated that people call the ambulances to transport the dead, which isn't part of their job description.
Daniel Asare explained that the transportation of dead people is a task for hearses instead of the emergency medical teams.
“If we use ambulances to carry the dead, the public will lose trust in using the service,” he said.
Daniel Asare explained further that the National Ambulance Service operates two streams: emergency and non-emergency.
For genuine emergencies, ambulances are fully funded by the government through the National Petroleum Authority and Goil, so no fees are charged to patients. For non-emergency cases, small fees are applied to support operations, but patients without funds are still transported.
The Greater Accra Regional Manager of the National Ambulance Service also stated that they have recorded an increase in prank calls. He disclosed that they receive approximately 5,000 false alerts each month.
According to Daniel Asare, the unnecessary prank calls become a strain on the meagre resources and delay response to genuine emergencies.
Daniel Asare also pleaded with the government to retool the National Ambulance Service.
Ambulance service deploy EMTs to support hospitals
YEN.com.gh reported that the National Ambulance Service activated a national emergency alert, placing all EMTs on standby to assist when the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) went on strike.
The Ministry of Health formally requested the Emergency Medical Technicians support to stabilise emergency cases, dress wounds, and assist with referrals.
As the GRNMA strike entered its second week, critical hospital units like ERs and ICUs faced mounting pressure.
Mahama sacks Ambulance Service Boss Nuhu Zakariah
In an earlier report, YEN.com.gh President John Mahama dismissed Dr Nuhu Zakariah as Chief Executive Officer of the National Ambulance Service.
Dr Nuhu Zakariah's sacking followed a warning from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission over his misuse of an academic title.
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) publicly directed him to stop referring to himself as “Professor,” a title the Commission stated that he had not legitimately earned.
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission publicly directed Zakariah to stop referring to himself as a Professor
Source: YEN.com.gh
