The Rebecca Foundation on Wednesday presented six new ambulances to some needy health institutions across the country to improve emergency care in children and babies.
The gesture formed part of the Foundations efforts at supporting various health interventions, particularly targeted at women and children to improve their wellbeing.
The ambulances, handed over to the Foundation by SVANI Group Limited, are fitted with essential medical equipments including stretchers, maternity kits, cardiac monitors, oxygen, gloves, syringes and burns kits to provide optimum care to children in need of emergency care.
The beneficiary hospitals include the Osu Maternity Home, the Sakumono Community Hospital, Valley View University Hospital and the Paediatric Unit Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, all in the Greater Accra Region.
The rest are the West Gonja District Assembly Polyclinic in the Northern Region and the Komfo Anokye Mother and Baby Unit in the Ashanti Region.
First Lady and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, presenting keys to the ambulances to the hospitals, said a robust emergency system was critical to deliver quality health outcomes.
“I know that the health ministry is in the process of distributing ambulances to health facilities across the country and this is our own way of complimenting such efforts.
The ability of health personnel to respond swiftly to emergencies such as accidents, childhood complications and venom bites among others is very cardinal in our pursuit of preventing avoidable deaths which is why we are making these donations,” she said.
Mrs Akufo-Addo charged the hospitals to put the ambulances to good use and observe good maintenance practices to achieve desired results.
Deputy Minister of Health, Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah, expressed gratitude to the First Lady for the donation, which she said was a lead up to the government’s commitment to distribute some 275 ambulances nationwide.
“We will soon begin distribution of the ambulances to the constituencies and this presentation is just a first step in rolling out the policy,” she stated.
Ms Mensah pledged, on behalf of the beneficiary hospitals, to use the ambulances for its intended purpose “for the benefit of all”.
On his part, the Municipal Chief Executive of the Korley-Klottey Municipal Assembly, Nii Adjei Tawiah, noted the timeliness of the ambulances particularly to serve residents within his jurisdiction which had been without a children’s ambulance for a long while.
“Osu had been without an ambulance for a long while and we are very much grateful to the Rebecca Foundation for extending this help to us,” he said while expressing appreciation on behalf of all beneficiary hospitals.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH