Ambulance Dispatch Centre records 200 prank calls in one hour

Officials at National Ambulance Centre Dispatch Centre want persons who engage in prank calls to be ruthlessly dealt with as their actions interrupt the work of the emergency services.

According to the Head of the Centre, Matilda Nartey, her outfit has just today, Thursday received over 200 prank calls with one hour.

The new emergency number 112, is to serve as a synchronized pot of call for all emergency services either the police, NADMO, Ambulance Service and the Ghana National Fire Service.

Matilda Nartey in an interview with Joy News monitored by Kasapafmonline.com disclosed that some of the prank callers call to demand money while others call to talk about matters not related to emergency services.

“We have received more than 200 prank calls within an hour, for now, we don’t have any procedure to block them or report them to the police. So what we have done this morning is to write down all the names and numbers that have called, the number of times, and the time that they called. For almost 30 minutes there’s one caller who just calls we pick the call, the person doesn’t talk we hang up and then the person calls back again.”

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has cautioned the people of Ghana not to abuse the emergency health care system of the country which has been given a great boost with the introduction of a single emergency contact number (112) as well as three hundred and seven (307) State of the Art Ambulances.

Addressing attendees of the Commissioning and distribution ceremony of some three hundred and seven (307) ambulances under Government’s flagship programme, “One Constituency, One Ambulance”, at the Black Star Square on Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo said information available indicates that some citizens have been misusing the emergency service number, a development he says could in itself put the lives of other members of the citizenry at risk.

“I will appeal that this improvement in the provision of emergency services be not abused. We are told that 90% of calls made to the providers of emergency services are usually prank calls. This is not right as it only endangers the life of Ghanaians in need” President Akufo-Addo stated.