District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asuogyman, Samuel Kwame Agyekum on Wednesday, 5th February, 2020 handed over a brand new ambulance to the Asuogyaman Constituency Ambulance Station at a colourful ceremony at the forecourts of the Asuogyaman District Assembly, to commission the ambulance.

The Assembly Chief presented the ambulance, one of 307 commissioned by his Excellency, President Akuffo Addo on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 to the Asuogyaman District Director of Health Services, Mr. Abdul Aziz who in turn handed it over to Mr. Stephen Quansah who is the head of the Constituency National Ambulance Service.

The ceremony, chaired by Dr. Peter Ato Forson, an Emergency Physician Specialist at the Volta River Authority (VRA) hospital was graced by many individuals from the health fraternity, traditional leaders, political representatives and staff of the Asuogyaman District Assembly.

The DCE, Samuel Kwame Agyekum while expressing his profound gratitude to staff of the VRA hospital for providing a bay for the running of the ambulance service and a bungalow to serve as an office said he was proud to be part of the success story of the government.

Mr. Agyekum who described the purchase of the 307 ambulances as ample testimony of the good works of the NPP government recalled other interventions undertaken by this administration in other sectors such as education, agriculture, health and human resource.

The introduction of the free senior high school policy, the DCE noted, formed part of government’s efforts to bolster the country’s development by empowering its human resource base, adding that every country’s development hinged on the development of its human resource.

Asuogyaman District Director of Health Services, Mr. Abdul Aziz said the “gesture from the government came at a time when the district health service was in distress for an ambulance.”

Mr. Aziz decried the practice of health personnel in remote areas resorting to mostly public transport including okada to convey emergency cases from various parts of the district including road traffic accident and labour cases to health delivery centers.

The regrettable situation, he lamented, had resulted in needless loss of lives.

To curb the trend, the district assembly and the health directorate has rehabilitated and put to use an old ambulance which is almost ready to support emergency response as part of attempts to rescue the situation.

Dr. Peter Ato Forson who chaired the ceremony, demonstrated the functions of the various equipment in the ambulance.

Dr. Ato Forson who reiterated the need for maintenance also described the procurement of the ambulances as great news which would greatly improve response to morbidity and decrease mortality in emergency cases.

Health personnel, he said, saw the suffering of victims where only one ambulance was available to attend to multiple cases at the same time.

On her part, Director of VRA Health Services, Dr. (Mrs.) Acquah Arhin, underscored the importance of healthcare and observed that the procurement of the ambulance came as a timely intervention following the pressure mounted on the only ambulance belonging to the VRA hospital.

She recalled the role the VRA ambulance played in the Asitey accident in June, 2019 which claimed seven lives as the only ambulance available to assist in the dispatch of the victims to various hospitals.

With all nearby major hospitals including the Atua Government Hospital and St Martins, both in Lower Manya Krobo relying on the only VRA ambulance for emergency and referral services, Dr. Arhin was hopeful the addition of the new ambulance would greatly enhance timely medical care for accident victims which would in turn save a lot of lives.

She asked the ambulance team to provide a maintenance schedule for the ambulance to ensure its proper maintenance which was required to ensure its durability and called on the team to ensure that residents know the ambulance station to easily access its services.

New Patriotic Party Chairman in the constituency, Dr. Godfred Akyea-Darkwa said the important role of the ambulance in healthcare delivery couldn’t be overemphasized, adding that the NPP government had foresight.

He was relieved that the availability of the ambulances was going to save lives of accident victims and others who will need emergency medical care.

He also said drivers of the ambulances ought to be thoroughly trained, at least twice a year, to ensure they handle the ambulances in the best manner to serve its purpose.

Head of the Constituency National Ambulance Service, Mr. Stephen Quansah said he and his team were ready to put the ambulance to best use.

He called for support for the team to enable it put out its best.