Africa-Press – Ghana. The National Ambulance Service and its sensitive role in providing timely emergency care in the Ghanaian healthcare landscape is gradually becoming common knowledge and reality to live with.
The National Ambulance Service, came into inception in Ghana in 2004 and has grown at a very remarkable pace. It has over 275 stations and 362 functioning ambulances (Owuse & Asante,2020).
Globally, the ambulance dates as far back as 1487, tied to the history of the siege of Màlaga, where it provided transport for the Spanish forces. It was equally instrumental during the American Civil War, the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and the Serbi-Turkish war of 1876.
The ambulance cannot go unnoticed firstly, because of its design, branding and also, it’s distinct siren. The siren was an invention of John Robinson in 1790, as a musical instrument. It has received modifications over centuries and today we have the modern siren.
Although a lot of public sensitizations has gone on about the services of the National Ambulance Service, the good work must go on uninterrupted.
It is quite interesting to observe that a lot of Ghanaians from various backgrounds have the misconception that the ambulance is a hearse. This may be partly due to the fact that the word “ambulance” is embossed on some hearses owned by private hearse operators nationwide and also because they use sirens.
Many people have come to think the ambulance is for carrying the dead or for carrying corpse just like hearses.I use to think the same but now I know better. It is totally an inverse of the ethics and functions of the ambulance and the ambulance service generally.
While the hearse is a vehicle that transports a coffin or casket from the family home or funeral home,to the funeral service, cemetery or crematorium.
The ambulance does not carry the dead, whether in coffin or not.It is designed to provide timely, efficient, pre-hospital care to the sick and the injured. It is equiped to give life saving interventions to stabilize the condition of a patient or the sick and transport them for further care. This is a life saving unit,an important and indispensable intermediary between a person with critical health conditions and the hospital.
Now that there is more clarity about their functionality, let’s be informed that their able team is just a phone call away irrespective of your location in Ghana. Just dial 112 or 193 and they will briskly attend to you.
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