Health Ministry Calls for Enhanced Prehospital Emergency Care
The Ministry of Health has called for a transformation of Ghana’s prehospital emergency care system, urging the National Ambulance Service (NAS) to move beyond its traditional role of patient transportation to delivering comprehensive emergency medical care that improves patient outcomes.
Delivering the keynote address at the National Ambulance Service Annual Review Conference, the Director of the Institutional Care Division of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Lawrence Ofori-Boadu, commended the leadership and staff of NAS for their dedication, professionalism and resilience in providing lifesaving emergency medical services across the country.
He described the annual review conference as an important platform for assessing performance, identifying operational gaps, celebrating achievements and developing strategies to strengthen healthcare delivery.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Beyond Transport: Strengthening Prehospital Emergency Care, Stabilisation and Timely Patient Transfer,” Dr Ofori-Boadu stressed that emergency medical services should no longer be viewed merely as transporting patients but as an essential component of Ghana’s healthcare system.
He noted that emergency care begins at the scene of an incident and that prompt interventions during the first few critical minutes often determine whether a patient survives, recovers fully or suffers permanent disability.
He further emphasised that emergency care remains a vital pillar in Ghana’s pursuit of Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals, citing road traffic accidents, cardiac emergencies, strokes, obstetric and neonatal complications, trauma, burns, poisoning and disasters as key emergencies that continue to place enormous pressure on the health system.
Dr Ofori-Boadu underscored the need to regard ambulances as mobile treatment units capable of providing emergency assessment, triage, lifesaving interventions, patient stabilisation, continuous monitoring and effective communication with receiving health facilities.
He stressed that patient referrals should represent a continuation of clinical care rather than simply a transfer of responsibility, calling for enhanced competencies among Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to provide quality care throughout patient transport.
The Ministry of Health representative also advocated stronger collaboration between the National Ambulance Service and health facilities through improved referral protocols, clinician-to-clinician communication, structured patient handovers, advance notification systems and the availability of essential medicines and equipment.
He further called for sustained investment in workforce development through continuous training in trauma care, Advanced Life Support, neonatal and obstetric emergencies, disaster preparedness and simulation-based learning.
On technological innovation, Dr Ofori-Boadu encouraged investments in electronic patient records, digital referral systems, telemedicine, GPS-enabled dispatch systems and real-time communication platforms to improve emergency response and patient care.
He also commended NAS for training more than 6,000 community first responders in 2025 and developing a First Responder Guide, describing communities as the true first responders in emergency situations.
Reaffirming the commitment of the Ghana Health Service to emergency preparedness, patient safety, referral system strengthening, clinical governance and workforce development, Dr Ofori-Boadu urged stakeholders to redefine success in emergency medical services by focusing on lives saved, disabilities prevented, reduced referral times, quality patient stabilisation, patient satisfaction and stronger collaboration across the health sector.
He concluded by calling on the National Ambulance Service to evolve into a fully integrated prehospital emergency care system that prioritises assessment, stabilisation, coordinated referrals and improved patient outcomes through sustained investment in human resources, technology and inter-agency collaboration.
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