After months of transporting sick and accident relatives to nearby health facilities through improvised means, the residents of Bolgatanga East constituency in the Upper East Region can now heave a sigh of relief following the repair of the broken ambulance in the area.
The ambulance, which was out of service for several months due to a faulty engine, has finally been fixed thanks to the efforts of Silas Amoah Mathew, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the constituency.
Mr. Amoah’s donation of Ghc12, 000 for repair of the ambulance was possible following a news report carried out by A1 Radio’s Joshua Asaah about how emergency healthcare delivery in the area was challenged due to the faulty ambulance. The broken ambulance had caused a lot of concern among the residents, as they were left without a means of emergency medical transportation.
In cases where urgent medical assistance was needed, the residents had to rely on private vehicles or other forms of transportation, including tricycles otherwise known as ‘Can do’ which often resulted in delays and increased risks.
However, the broken-down ambulance that was sent to Kumasi for repairs, was brought back to the Bolgatanga East on Monday 28th August 2023. When the reporter was at the office of the ambulance service in the Bolgatanga East constituency on Tuesday at 10:30 AM to get first-hand information after the vehicle was brought back, a distress call came into the office for emergency service.
The call came from health workers at the Yarigabiisi CHPS compound. It was the first case after the repair of the ambulance. A pregnant woman at the facility was diagnosed with suffering from foetal distress, a condition under which a baby in the womb is not receiving enough oxygen through the placenta. She was immediately transported to the Upper East Regional Hospital for proper care.
Some of the residents at random interviews were excited that the ambulance was on the road again and thanked the young politician for his support to improve healthcare in the constituency.
Akua Abane, a lady from the Yagzoore community who does petty trading at the Zuarungu market square recounted that her sister was put to bed at the family house. Unfortunately, she was bleeding profusely and needed to be taken to the hospital. So, a distress call was made to the ambulance service for emergency care.
“However, because there was no available ambulance in the constituency, it took a long time before an ambulance finally arrived. Sadly, the lady died upon arrival at the regional hospital. But we are happy that our ambulance is back on the road to serve us”
Another woman, Azumah Avooro from Zuarungu who was compelled to be transported to the regional hospital in a tricycle during labour could not hide her joy but Mr. Amoah for his benevolence that is bringing relief to the constituents.
Boniface Ayamga, the Bolgatanga East District Station Officer of the National Ambulance Service said it is expected that emergency health service would be improved in the area.
“The needy, the old ladies in the Bolgatanga East District will be more excited than I am that the vehicle has come back on the road. And we thank Silas Amoah Mathew very much for bringing our vehicle back on the road”, Mr. Ayamga.
He used the opportunity to appeal again for computers from the NPP parliamentary candidate in the area for improved transmission of information.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Zuarungu|Ghana
