The National Ambulance Service (NAS) is to deploy 500 Rapid Motorbike Response Units (RMUs) across the country to improve emergency response, particularly in traffic-congested urban centres and hard-to-reach communities.
The motorbike units are expected to provide early stabilisation for patients before ambulances arrive, helping to improve survival time in critical emergencies.
The Director of Policy, Planning, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at NAS, Dr Simon Akayiri Nyaaba, who made the disclosure while presenting highlights of the 2025 Annual and 2026 Mid-Year Performance Review, said the intervention formed part of measures by the Service to reduce emergency response times and strengthen pre-hospital care.
According to him, the NAS responded to 36,839 emergency cases out of 42,154 calls received in 2025, with its average national response time hovering around 26 minutes and 23 seconds, still above its 20-minute target.
He said while the number of cases responded to reflects wider reach and growing public trust in the Service, challenges including ageing ambulance fleet, staff shortages, infrastructural constraints, limited capacity building for personnel and increasing demand for emergency medical services, still persist.
Dr Nyaaba noted that the Service had completed a comprehensive fleet assessment to guide the procurement of 400 new ambulances and commissioned five regional in-house mechanical workshops to reduce vehicle downtime.
He added that a Biomedical Engineering Unit had also been established to service and calibrate medical equipment, while all 319 operational ambulances had been comprehensively insured.
The Director further outlined plans by the NAS to establish three regional oxygen plants, roll out digital fleet and hospital bed management systems and recruit additional personnel to strengthen emergency response nationwide.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NAS, Dr George Owusu, expressed the resolve of the Service to move “beyond transport” by strengthening pre-hospital emergency care.
“Our goal is to save more lives by getting the right care to patients as quickly as possible,” he stated.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
