The Ghana Ambulance Service needs a minimum of about five air ambulances to combat emergencies in remote areas of the country, the Public Relations Officer of the service, Simon Yusif Kawula has said.

In an interview, Mr Kawula said the Service has been requesting air ambulances for several years but the government is yet to respond to them.

“We have been requesting for air ambulances for about six to seven years now, we need marine ambulances so that in case there are emergencies on our rivers and along the coast, our men stationed there can handle them.”

Mr Kawula also asked patients who are not in critical condition to secure a bed at hospitals before they place a call to the Service to transport them.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Ambulance Service, Simon Yusif Kawula, this is to ensure that the patient is not stranded over lack of bed at the hospitals they are being transported to.

“With non-emergency cases for instance when you have your relative at the Ridge Hospital and has been referred to Korle Bu, we’ll make sure that you the patient’s relative has done the necessary arrangement to be sure that should you take your sick relative to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital you’ll get a bed. Once you secure the bed then we move but if you don’t get the bed we’ll not come and pick your sick relative because if we do the patient will be stuck in the ambulance.

“Sometimes, the nurses in the hospital the patient is laying, help with the necessary arrangement with the receiving hospital (referral hospital) to find a bed. Most of the time it is successful. But if that arrangement is not done it is difficult for us to move in because if we do the patient will be stuck in the ambulance,” Mr Kawula said.