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🇬🇭 Ghana /Health & Science

National Ambulance Service to deploy 500 motorbike units nationwide

From Ghanaian Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The National Ambulance Service (NAS) plans to deploy 500 Rapid Motorbike Response Units (RMUs) nationwide to improve emergency response times.
  • These units aim to provide early patient stabilization, especially in urban and hard-to-reach areas, to enhance survival rates.
  • Despite improvements, the NAS faces challenges including an aging ambulance fleet, staff shortages, and infrastructure constraints, with an average national response time still exceeding its target.

The National Ambulance Service (NAS) in Ghana is set to significantly enhance its emergency response capabilities by deploying 500 Rapid Motorbike Response Units (RMUs) across the country. This initiative aims to improve response times, particularly in traffic-clogged urban centers and remote communities, and to provide crucial early patient stabilization before ambulances arrive. The deployment is part of a broader strategy to strengthen pre-hospital care and increase survival rates in critical emergencies.

Dr. Simon Akayiri Nyaaba, Director of Policy, Planning, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at NAS, revealed these plans during a presentation of the service's performance reviews. He noted that in 2025, NAS responded to 36,839 emergency cases out of 42,154 calls received. However, the average national response time remains around 26 minutes and 23 seconds, still above the 20-minute target. This highlights the persistent challenges the service faces.

Despite increased public trust and a wider reach, NAS continues to grapple with issues such as an aging ambulance fleet, staff shortages, infrastructural limitations, and insufficient capacity building for its personnel. To address these, the service has completed a fleet assessment to guide the procurement of 400 new ambulances. Furthermore, five regional in-house mechanical workshops have been commissioned to minimize vehicle downtime, and a Biomedical Engineering Unit has been established for servicing medical equipment. All 319 operational ambulances have also been comprehensively insured.

Looking ahead, NAS plans include establishing three regional oxygen plants, implementing digital systems for fleet and bed management, and recruiting additional staff. NAS CEO Dr. George Owusu emphasized the service's commitment to moving "beyond transport" by bolstering pre-hospital emergency care. The ultimate goal, he stated, is to save more lives by delivering the right care to patients as swiftly as possible.

Our goal is to save more lives by getting the right care to patients as quickly as possible

— Dr. George OwusuThe Chief Executive Officer of the NAS, Dr. George Owusu, articulated the service's core objective in strengthening pre-hospital emergency care.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ghanaian Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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