The Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIB) of Ghana is strengthening its collaboration with the National Ambulance Service to improve emergency response mechanisms in the event of aviation-related accidents.

Speaking during a stakeholder engagement between the two institutions on May 5, 2025, the Acting Commissioner of AIB Ghana, John M. K. Wumborti, stressed the need for integrated emergency response systems.

“We can’t work in isolation,” he said.

“This job is such that you have to work with collaborators, and we have ambulance service as one of our collaborators. When there is an accident, they are the first people we call.”

He emphasized that the meeting aimed to enhance coordination and ensure preparedness in managing incidents across the country.

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Ambulance Service, Professor Ahmed N. Zakariah, echoed the importance of collaboration between emergency agencies, especially for training and simulation exercises.

“Collaboration is very important, in terms of training and simulation exercises, because we are able to bring our ideas together,” he noted.

Prof Zakariah used the platform to highlight a critical gap in the country's emergency response infrastructure: the absence of an air ambulance system.

“If an accident happens far away from any community, the only viable means of response is by air. But currently, Ghana does not have an air ambulance system,” he said.

“It is long overdue for us as a country to consider operating one, especially considering we have domestic airlines.”

He warned that in the unfortunate event of an aviation emergency in a remote area or over the ocean, the lack of air ambulance support could delay life-saving interventions.

Prof Zakariah praised several interventions underway to ensure proper delivery of service.

he added that his team is always available to respond to emergencies

He also lamented the inadequate number of land ambulances, which continues to stretch the system’s capacity.

Supporting this call, Dr Simon Akayiri Nyaaba, Deputy Director for Policy, Planning, Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PPRM&E) at the National Ambulance Service, highlighted the agency’s role in Ghana’s broader emergency preparedness framework.

“The National Ambulance Service remains a vital pillar in Ghana’s emergency preparedness. We work closely with NADMO, the Police, Fire Service, MOH, GCAA, health facilities, and the Ghana Armed Forces,” he stated.

He disclosed that the service operates on a three-shift system, with a minimum of four personnel per crew, in an effort to maintain round-the-clock emergency coverage nationwide.



AM

#TheAdutwumFactor! Watch as Yaw Osei Adutwum declares intent to contest NPP flagbearership for 2028