File photo: the ambulance will ease transportation of patients in need of emergency healthcare
The Kyidom council of the Akuapem traditional area, has presented a brand new ambulance to the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital at Mampong, to provide timely and quality healthcare to the people of the area.
In addition to the Ambulance, five other institutions including the Mamfe Presbyterian, Methodist and Obosomase Junior High Schools (JHS), Mamfe police Station and the Kyidom traditional council secretariat received a desk-top computer each with a printer.
The donation forms part of the Mamfehene and Kyidomhene of the Akuapem traditional area, Osabarima Ansah Sasraku’s development agenda of mobilizing support to state institutions to help them function effectively and efficiently.
The short and colourful presentation ceremony took place at Mamfe with the support of the Queenmother of the Akuapem Tradiitonal area, Nana Afua Obuo Nketiaa, the Aburihene and Adontenhene of Akuapem, Otobuor Gyan Kwasi, Osabarima Asiedu Okoo Ababio, chief of larteh and Benkumhene of Akuapem and Nana Opese Konadu acting Nifahene of Akuapem and a host of well-wishers from the Akuapem traditional area.
Osabarima Ansah Sasraku, indicated that the ambulance and the computers were donated by some Mamfe indigenes abroad after consultations with them on how best they could support ailing institutions in the area.
He said, he observed that the Tetteh Quarshie was currently the only fully fledged hospital serving the entire Akuapem ridge made up of 17 towns, yet had only one ambulance adding that the computers to the schools were also to enhance the teaching and learning of ICT which was now an examinable subject.
Osabarima Sasraku noted that in the area of health and education, government could not do it alone by providing the necessary tools and facilities to provided quality services to the people and therefore there was the need for chiefs who were traditional leaders to rally the support of people to complement government efforts.
The queen mother of the Akuapem traditional area, Nana Afua Obuo Nketiaa, who presented the ambulance to the hospital on behalf of the Kyidom council, thanked the Mamfe indigenes for the ambulance since it was critical to the provision of quality and timely healthcare to the people of Akuapem.
She also commended the Kyidomhene for his vision of rallying his people to provide support to the entire area and called on all chiefs to encourage their indigenes who had the means to contribute their quota to the developmental agenda of Akuapem and the nation at large.
The Queen mother called on the Management of the Tetteh Quarshie hospital to take good care of the ambulance to ensure that it served the intended purpose adding that ‘with the right maintenance culture, the ambulance can stand the test of time’.
Mr Francis Luguniah, the administrator of the hospital who received the ambulance said the hospital currently served about three districts on the Akuapem ridge and beyond and so do a lot of referrals to the Regional hospital at Koforidua or Korle-Bu.
He said despite the reach of its services, the hospital relied on 13-year old ambulance for all its referral cases adding that sometimes critical referrals were delayed because they had to rely on Accra or Koforidua for the services of an ambulance.
The Adminstrator therefore thanked the Mamfehene and the entire Akuapem traditional authorities for the ambulance and assured that it would be put to good use.
