GENERAL NEWS: One constituency, one ambulance – Bawumia announces.

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has announced that the government has initiated processes to produced 275 ambulances to boost the operations of the National Ambulance Service.

According to him, each constituency will be given one of the ambulances.

Speaking at the opening of the 2018 Annual Health Summit organized by the Ghana Health Service in Accra, Dr Bawumia suggested that the effective operation of the Ghana Ambulance Service would contribute to the general improvement of the country’s health sector.

“You cannot have a national ambulances service without ambulances, it becomes a problem. So the government has through the Ministry of Special development initiative, who work with the development authorizes, have begun the processes of procuring ambulances for every constituency in this country, and we have 275 constituencies so we will procure 275 ambulances, all of which will become a part of the national ambulances system to help in the development of health services,” he said.

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, while decrying the state of the country’s ambulance service said it requires a dedicated source of funding to improve its operation.

Meanwhile, Dr Bawumia, while stressing on the theme, “Achieving Universal Health Coverage – Using Innovative Approaches,” said the government would by September begin the use drones to deliver blood and essential medicines to remove parts of the country.

He said some areas in the country were hard to reach hence the introduction of the drone technology as being done in Malawi and Rwanda, will help save lives, especially of the pregnant women.

“…there are ongoing discussions, we are looking at innovative ways to deliver blood supplies as well as essential medicines to remote areas. As the rains come in, some areas are going to be cut off… Do we allow mothers to die because we can’t have blood supplies or essential medicines? Ghana this week, will be signing an MOU and by the middle of this year or by September, we will join Malawi and Rwanda with using drone technology to deliver blood supplies and essential medicines. So we are going to do that this year,” he said.