Deputy Director in Charge of Operations, for the National Ambulance Service Foster Ansong-Bridjan, says patients will have to pay for fuel in non-emergency situations who require the service of the ambulances.
Mr Ansong-Bridjan speaking to Citi News explained the conditions in which one will have to make payment but said those who cannot afford the payment will not be forced to pay.
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“With the Ambulance Service, we say that our services are free, as far as emergencies are concerned. The only time that we expect someone to pay for something is when you are in a hospital and you are being asked to go and do a diagnostic investigation, like a CT scan which is not an emergency.â€
“We have to sustain the service, it means that something must be paid for the fueling of the vehicle for that particular case. That doesn’t mean we are charging. But when really the persons cannot afford, we will not insist that the person must, at all cost, pay,†he said.
Ghana’s Ambulance Service has recently seen a boost with an investment of 307 new ambulances to be distributed across all constituencies in the country, with new health service officers recruited and trained to deliver primary emergency services.
READ ALSO: Gov't to recruit 1,477Â National Ambulance Service staff
Services of the ambulances are widely publicized as free but Ansong-Bridjan says some patients will be asked to pay to fuel the vehicle.
The government will in the coming days recruit 1,477 National Ambulance Service staff to boost the operations of the service.
Speaking at the commissioning and distribution of 307 newly procured ambulances at the Black Star Square in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said the Finance Ministry has given clearance for the recruitment.