SPECIAL REPORT ON THE GHANA NATIONAL AMBULANCE SERVICE HANDING OVER OF MEDICAL EMERGENCY LIFE-SUPPORT AMBULANCE TO OTI REGION.

According to the Minister, although the referral health facilities in the region are far apart from each other, the advanced emergency life-support ambulance service will help provide medical care to the patients on or before treatment.

Hon. Machator opined that advanced life-support ambulance will be needed when the routine ambulances picked case from the hospital and the condition of the patient worsen while on transit.

To him, already there are some ambulances in the region and to receive the Advanced Life Support Ambulance will serve as a backup to the emergency service delivery.

“There are cases and the conditions of the cases are above the old ambulances. We have the kind of care that is supposed to be given to them. Those people could be transferred into this ambulance and then ferried or taking to the next health facility or wherever the person has been recommended to be taken,” he noted.

Hon. Machator reiterated the commitment of the President Akufo-Addo/Bawumia led government to continue to prioritise health and the general well-being of the citizenry.

He encouraged the personnel of the ambulance service in the region to inculcate a good maintenance culture to ensure the vehicle serves its intended purpose.

“Whenever it is due for servicing, you should ensure that is actually service and whatever help or assistance that you will require, just mention to us. If it is within our means, we will do our best to help you so that the car will be kept at 100% efficiency always so that it will help in saving lives of the people of Oti region,” he stated.

For his part, Oti Regional Administration Manager and Principal Advanced Emergency Medical Technologist, Doku Joshua Amarh, said although the old ambulances were brought in by the government introduced 2020 to take care of the people but distances are far apart and there are situations whereby it picks a case, the condition of the place case will change and they will need advanced care.

The personnel, he said will be able to initiate peripheral intravenous lines in unconscious patients; maintain peripheral intravenous lines as well as initiate saline or similar locks in unconscious patients and draw peripheral blood specimens; insert an uncuffed pharyngeal airway device in the practice of airway maintenance.

This, he said will maintain during transport any intravenous medication infusions or other procedures which were initiated in a medical facility, if clear and understandable written instructions for such maintenance have been provided by the physician at the sending medical facility;

Perform electrocardiographic rhythm interpretation of ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, pulseless electrical activity, and asystole; and perform cardiac defibrillation with a manual defibrillator among other functions.