The Head of Dispatch of the Ghana National Ambulance Service for Greater Accra Region, Joyce Avadzinu, has disclosed that only 42 ambulances are currently available to serve the entire Greater Accra area, placing immense pressure on emergency services and delaying responses for non-critical cases.

She said that the shortage of ambulances is forcing dispatchers to ration emergency responses and prioritise only the most life-threatening cases.

In a citinewsroom.com report on June 6, 2025, it said Avadzinu explained that the limited fleet size often means that many ambulances are already attending to cases when new calls come in, leaving dispatchers with little choice but to delay less urgent responses.

“We are managing because with the 42 ambulances, most of them will be on cases at the time a request comes. So, if the case is an inter-hospital referral and the patient can wait, we will make them wait,” she said.

She also said that in order to ensure readiness for high-priority emergencies, such as road traffic accidents or sudden collapses, some ambulances are deliberately held in reserve.

“As we make the dispatch, we try to keep some so that when there is a very severe emergency, like an RTA, or sudden collapse, then we move them,” Avadzinu stated, the report said.

However, she said that dispatchers are constantly coordinating with ambulance stations to ensure availability for critical situations.

“So, anytime we move an ambulance, we alert the stations to be on standby. When they return, then we can move them. Although this is difficult, we still have to manage with what we have,” she noted.

MRA/AE

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