The Greater Accra Regional Administrator of National Ambulance Service, PAEMT Daniel Asare, has cleared the misconception surrounding the usage of the ambulance service in the country.
According to him, ambulances are primarily designed and equipped for emergency medical care and transportation of patients, and not for carrying dead people, “people have this perception that it is used to carry dead people which are not true”.
He emphasised that the service is focused on saving lives and providing critical care as it is well equipped with life-support equipment and supplies for treating patients, which would be unnecessary for deceased individuals.
PAEMT Asare further added that an ambulance is designed to minimise infection risks and biohazards for patients, therefore carrying deceased individuals could compromise it.
He made this known at the commemoration of this year’s World Heart day organized by NAS for Custom Officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Tema Collection.
PAEMT Asare also bemoaned the rate at which people underrate the relevance of NAS through prank calls.
“The rate at which people just call us and demanding our services without really needing it is getting out of hands. Day in, day out we are receiving an overwhelming number of prank calls which is affecting our efficiency,” he lamented.
He also seized the opportunity to reaffirm NAS’ commitment to providing prompt medical care to patients, ensuring that they receive immediate attention and care.
In a related event, the Bono Regional Manager of NAS, Alfred Kwabena Amoah, said the service has made a remarkable impact by saving 10,135 lives between 2014 and 2023 in the region.
He said the beneficiaries were rescued from various emergency situations, including: road traffic accidents, maternal, and paediatric cases, medical cases and some special duty cases.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke