The only ambulance in Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district breaks down

The only ambulance serving the people of Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Northern Region requiring emergency transportation for medical care has completely broken down for the past three months.

Though the ambulance had been very weak in the last two years, authorities managed to keep it running within the district but were eventually forced to recently park it because of a malfunctioned breaking system and a weak clutch, shock absorbers and battery.

According to the ambulance station officers at the district, the faults have been reported to the regional office for support, which they said, is yet to come.

Also, the Ambulance Service in the district, which shares the same facility with the Ghana National Fire Service in Sawla does not have any proper route connecting the main road.

A bridge, constructed in 2016, is yet to be gravelled for used, a situation that makes it difficult for the two emergency service providers to easily access the main road as they always have to meander their way to get to the main road.

Officials of the ambulance service say the current situation is affecting emergency service provision in the district and a health risk for patients in requiring ambulance services.

When TV3 visited the Sawla Polyclinic it emerged that the facility rely on some private individual cars and public transport for referral cases.

Medical superintendent of the Sawla Polyclinic, Rojer Dery Goba, said the facility lacks the infrastructure to handle the number of cases they record.

He said the facility was being operated as a health centre until 2015 when its status was upgraded to polyclinic but no single infrastructure has been added on since.

He also mentioned lack of beds in the wards, lack of staff and lack of ambulance service for emergencies as a major challenge confronting the facility.

Meanwhile, work on a District Hospital project is set to start and the contractor has started bringing sand to the site.

Member of Parliament for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba constituency, Andrew Deri Chiwitey, has donated some medical equipment to the District health directorate to augment the existing ones while hoping for early completion of the District Hospital project.

The items include two delivery beds, two theatre sets, two motorbikes, 11 hospital beds, an ambulance, street lamps, two laptops and two wheelchairs.

The MP indicated that procured the equipment through his Italian friends.

He cautioned the health directorate to use the facilities judiciously to benefit the people.

The Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Director of Health Services David Bakuridipature said the new ambulance has come at the right time.