NAS officials and dignitaries in a group photograph after the event
The Greater Accra Regional Administrator of the National Ambulance Service (NAS), Dr. Daniel Asare, has debunked claims that suggest that the service is not proactive in responding to emergency incidents, stating that under the 2024 year review the service responded to nearly 9,030 emergency cases.
Speaking at the 2024 Annual Performance Review Conference of the National Ambulance Service, Greater Accra Region, Dr. Asare indicated that the service which faces logistic challenges serves a population of over 5.2 million people, with an ambulance-to-population ratio of 1:13200, which remains below the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard.
On average, the regional director said the region attends to over 750 cases per month, and has responded to nearly 9,030 emergencies so far in 2024 with an average regional response time of 18:45m, adding that, “these figures highlight both the critical role of EMS in our healthcare system and the demand for improved resources and efficiency.”
Speaking on the event theme: “Reflect, Review, and Consolidate to Build a Robust and Resilient Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Delivery in Achieving Universal Health Coverage in the Greater Accra Region,” Dr. Asare underscored the vital role pre-hospital emergency medical services play in achieving SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
He indicated that over the years, the region has enhanced its service delivery through periodic training of its emergency technicians, saying, “We are much dedicated to enhancing our service delivery to ensure we provide the best of care for the patients.”
Deputy Director of Public Relations, National Ambulance Service, Simmons Kewura, on his part, lamented the increasing criticism against the service. This, he said, affects the personnel service delivery. He also called on the government to increase the number of ambulance services among other logistics to enhance operations.
The annual performance review provides a valuable platform for management, personnel, stakeholders, and partners to reflect on operations over the past year, assess progress, and collectively strategise for the future of pre-hospital emergency medical services in the Greater Accra Region.
For the year 2025, the service in the region seeks to improve accessibility by opening more ambulance stations in underserved areas, and improve response time by training and forming more first-responder groups and personnel refresher training for both drivers and non-driver EMTs.
The service further projected proper fleet management to reduce frequent breakdowns, improve upon clients’ services, and conduct more public education.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke