President John Dramani Mahama has clarified that the tricycles being distributed under the Free Primary Health Care initiative are not ambulances, but are intended to support health workers and volunteers in delivering community-based services.
He explained that the tricycles will facilitate movement from village to village for health screening and outreach activities, as part of efforts to strengthen preventive healthcare and expand access to essential medical services across Ghana.
The President made the remarks during his address at the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of a 24-hour market in Bimbilla, as part of his Resetting Ghana tour of the Northern Region.
“Recently, at Dodowa, where I launched the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, we handed over equipment, including vehicles, for distribution to CHPS compounds. Among them were tricycles. Let me be clear for those who don’t understand the policy. Those tricycles are not ambulances. They are meant for the health workers and volunteers to commute from village to village for screening. The cooler compartments at the back of the tricycles are meant for vaccines”, President Mahama has stated in response to some political statements on social media claiming that the tricycles are ambulances.
“Most of these health workers can ride motorcycles, and that’s what they use. Where many cannot ride themselves to work, they will use tricycles. So let me emphasise again. These are not ambulances, but vehicles meant to enhance community outreach under the Free Primary Healthcare programme.”