The National Ambulance Service (NAS) has outdoored a project dubbed, ‘Operation Save a Soul’, and its ambassador, Captain Smart, a broadcast journalist.
The terms of reference for the NAS Ambassador include leading a team from the National Ambulance Service to solicit for the necessary support to resource the service in order to enhance its emergency response capabilities, Deputy Minister of Health, Tina Gifty Mensah said at the ceremony.
The mobilization of the resources she said, would be channeled towards procuring new ambulances to argument the current fleet of NAS vehicles which in turn would facilitate the opening of more stations.
The project she added aims at soliciting support to rehabilitate and or construct more facilities at the Paramedic and Emergency care Training School.
According to her, five thematic areas have been identified as being key to improving the service.
The areas include: procurement of new ambulances to argument the current fleet and to open more ambulance stations in the country; Upgrade and construction of new facilities at the Paramedic and Emergency Care Training Schools to scale up scope of training; Procurement of equipment and upgrade of the NAS Emergency Dispatch Centre to improve the emergency toll free line 193 and the procurement of medical equipment and training materials to enhance training and Support for Capacity building to improve quality care.
“In representing the service, the Ambassador would as and when necessary be in the Emergency Medical Technician Uniform. He would also be assigned an Emergency Medical Technician who would work closely with him,” she said.
A detailed proposal, she indicated further has been made available and would be presented to interested bodies as the Ambassador goes round the country.
On his part, Captain Smart said he was deeply honoured to have been selected for this task and promised to do his best. Mr. Smart bemoaned the challenges of NAS despite its achievements over the past few years stressing that we don’t have adequate ambulances and the necessary logistics.
“As an Ambassador for the service, I will play a key role in helping NAS to mobilize resources. I will help tell the NAS story in and outside the borders of Ghana…we shall mobilize resources both in cash and kind to procure more ambulances.
“We shall look for support for the Paramedic Training School. We shall equally be looking for support to upgrade the NAS Dispatch Centre. Support to acquire equipment and for capacity building would be also tackled,” he said.
He concluded by appealing for support from groups, institutions and other individuals towards the project.