CareFlight launches Ghana’s first Mobile Stroke Unit with onboard CT scanner

CareFlight Ghana, a private medical and emergency service provider, has launched what it describes as Ghana’s first Mobile Stroke Unit, a specialised ambulance equipped with a computed tomography (CT) scanner to diagnose and treat stroke patients before they reach hospital.

The initiative is designed to address delays caused by traffic congestion, limited emergency department capacity and difficulties accessing timely brain scans, which can worsen the effects of stroke and increase the risk of death or permanent disability.

Speaking at the launch ceremony at the Bank Hospital in Accra on Thursday, October 29, Medical Director of CareFlight Ghana, Dr Issaka Yakubu Akparibo, said the unit would bring essential elements of hospital care to patients instead of requiring them to navigate delays before receiving treatment.

“We are now moving the hospital to the doorstep of the patient,” he said.

The specialised ambulance will be staffed by a doctor, a critical care nurse, a radiographer and an emergency medical technician, with remote support from a neurologist and a radiologist.

Dr Akparibo explained that the team would assess patients at their location, monitor and stabilise them, conduct a brain scan and administer clot-dissolving medication where appropriate before transporting them to the unit’s partner facility, The Bank Hospital, for further care.

“From the onset of symptoms, if you lose one minute, you lose about 2 million of your brain cells,” he said.

The mobile stroke unit is intended to bring brain imaging and initial treatment closer to the patient, helping medical teams make faster decisions and determine the most appropriate course of care.

Dr Akparibo said the company had started with one unit because of the high cost of the specialised equipment but intends to expand its operations gradually.

On his part, the Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, Dr Hafiz Adam-Taher, welcomed the initiative, describing it as an important step towards making emergency healthcare faster and more accessible.

He said the unit could help bridge critical gaps between the onset of symptoms and the delivery of treatment by bringing assessment, brain imaging and appropriate initial interventions closer to patients.

“The Ministry of Health will continue to welcome innovations of this kind, provided they are safe, well regulated, and woven into our national emergency and fire systems,” he said.

Dr Adam-Taher further called for efforts to ensure that the service eventually reaches people outside Accra who live far from specialist medical facilities.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Dr Kenneth A. Ampoful, an emergency physician at The Bank Hospital, said the facility is partnering with CareFlight Ghana as the receiving hospital for patients transported by the mobile stroke unit.

He explained that the initiative could improve early assessment, communication between emergency teams and hospitals, and the speed at which patients receive appropriate treatment.

Dr Ampoful also stressed that the unit’s effectiveness would depend on a coordinated chain of care, from recognising symptoms in the community and providing pre-hospital treatment to hospital management and rehabilitation.

He said the partnership offers an opportunity to improve outcomes for stroke patients by strengthening the connection between emergency services and hospital-based care.

Meanwhile, the launch of the initiative coincided with World Stroke Day, a global observance aimed at highlighting the severity and prevalence of stroke, raising awareness of its prevention and treatment, and promoting better care and support for survivors.