The Ghana National Ambulance Service is optimistic the Community Emergency Care course, offered by Africa Health Collaborative, KNUST, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, will contribute to Ghana’s efforts to ensure safe emergency transfers from tertiary hospitals to primary and lower-level health facilities.
Speaking on the second day of the week-long Community Emergency Care course, CEO Professor Ahmed Nuhu Zakaria believes the initiative will alleviate congestion at tertiary health facilities.
“In the future, we should aim to implement a downward transfer system. When Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is overwhelmed and patients have been stabilized, we should have a system in place to transfer them back to lower-level facilities for continued care and integration into the community,” he emphasized.
Twenty health personnel from across the country are participating in the second cohort of the workshop, under the Health Employment pillar led by Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah.
Prof. Zakaria urged participants, “Don’t let this training end here after five days. When you return, strive to make a positive impact in your communities.”
He assured the Ministry of Health’s commitment to supporting the programme.
“This is not merely a local initiative. We will encourage you and ensure that the ministry takes ownership, so that even after the scholarship period ends, government sponsorship can be secured to benefit your colleagues,” he stated.