The National Ambulance Service launched an ambulance fund to support maternal mothers in the Nkwanta South Municipality. The event was held on Friday, February 17, 2023, at the Nkwanta South Municipal Assembly Hall in Nkwanta. Creating an Ambulance Fund to support maternal mothers and children under 2 years is the brainchild of the Municipal Emergency Transport and Planning Committee. About ten thousand Ghana cedi (¢10,000.00) was realised as the seed money for the fund.
The Ambulance Fund is to help transport maternal mothers due for delivery from the chief compound to the municipal hospital. Aside from the maternal mothers, the fund will also focus on supporting the health care of children under two years.
Present at the ceremony were stakeholders from the Police service, Fire service, Immigration service, Ghana Education Service, Nkwanta South Municipal Assembly, Municipal Medical Directorate, St. Joseph Hospital, Muslim Community, Christian Council of Churches, the Traditional Council, staff of the Municipal Assembly and the general public.
AEMT Derrick Wortey Koranteng, the head of the dispatch of the Nkwanta ambulance office, explained the project that brought about the need for creating an Ambulance Fund. – “The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in January 2022, started a project dubbed, “Acute Care Emergency Referral System” (ACERS) in the Nkwanta South Municipality. In every region, the national Ambulance service has only one dispatch. As a result of the ACERS project, an additional dispatch office was added to that of the Oti region.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Bright Kwame Lenwah, lauded the initiative. He also commended the National Ambulance Service, mandated by law for conveying the sick to health facilities in the country for a good job done. The MCE expressed the hope that all stakeholders and the general public will patronize the idea of consistently contributing to the fund.
Story by Emmanuel Sappor & Daniel Ahiatrogah