Minister for Special Development Initiative, Mavis Hawa Koomson, has expressed surprise at the audacity of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to demand the distribution of some ambulances purchased as part of Government’s One Constituency One Ambulance campaign promise, ABC News can report.
The Minority, at a press briefing Thursday, asked for the immediate distribution of some 48 ambulances parked at the forecourt of Parliament for several reasons including an allegation that people are dying as a result of lack of emergency health care delivery systems.
But responding to the widely reported demand, the Minister argued that the NDC does not have the moral right to question the delivery of the ambulances since they couldn’t factor the need for ambulances through their eight years stay in office.
“When I heard about their press conference, I was surprised, when they were in Ghana for eight years, didn’t they know we needed ambulances? The person who knew that Ghanaians needed ambulances were voted for and he has resolved that within two and a half years he will get ambulances for Ghanaians.
“When you promised 100 ambulances, you (NDC) brought in just 30 ambulances and even those couldn’t carry even dead bodies so if someone wants to go through due process and bring 307 ambulances so that when we start using them they won’t break down and so why the rush?” she quizzed Friday, on Accra based Adom FM.
According to her, the delay in the delivery of the ambulances is because systems and processes need to be put in place for a smooth running of the ambulance services.
These include the training of special drivers and paramedics as well as the setting up of ambulance centres.
She stated, “Referrals and emergency were problems so we needed an ambulance to service people, initially, because it was the one ambulance per constituency, we decided to buy only 275 constituencies but later we realized that a lot of accidents happen on our major roads and also there are no ambulances at our regional offices so we decided to buy more”
“We all know it is not any driver who can drive an ambulance, we have special drivers who have been trained, you have to know how to manoeuvre through traffic so if you don’t train them, you can’t run the ambulance, also, the paramedics who will look after the sick people till we get to the referral centres will also have to be trained” she stated.
As of now, the Minister indicated that 48 ambulances have been packed at the forecourt of Parliament with 96 waiting to be cleared at the port.
Source: abcnewsgh.com
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