'We will buy 100 new ambulances, procure parts to bring another 100 ambulances back to service' — Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to procure 100 new ambulances to replenish the National Ambulance Service's fleet, alongside efforts to repair another 100 vehicles currently out of service.

He said the government would acquire the necessary spare parts to restore the broken-down ambulances and improve the country's emergency medical response capacity.

“We will therefore purchase 100 new ambulances and procure the parts required to bring another 100 ambulances back into service,” the President said.

He made the announcement at the 68th Annual National General Conference of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), held at Miotso near Prampram in the Greater Accra Region.

President Mahama also disclosed that the government would soon conduct a feasibility study of sewage systems at major public health facilities to identify the necessary repairs and prevent medical waste from being discharged into drains and water bodies.

The week-long conference is being held on the theme: “The No Bed Syndrome: Reimagining a Befitting Emergency Response System for Ghana”.

Addressing the gathering, the President said government support for specialised medical care must go hand in hand with investments in the facilities and expertise required to provide such services locally.

He noted that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund had begun supporting patients with selected serious conditions, starting with cancers, while investments in specialised training and healthcare infrastructure were expected to expand the country's treatment capacity.

He cited the cardiac catheterisation laboratory recently commissioned at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as an important addition to Ghana's advanced cardiac care services.

According to him, the cardiology centres under construction at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital would further improve access to specialised cardiac treatment when completed.

The President expressed regret over the loss of a medical doctor due to the lack of access to a catheterisation laboratory, stressing the need to establish three such facilities in the country, at Korle Bu, Kumasi and Tamale.

He also identified organ transplantation as another area in which the government was laying the groundwork for expanded specialised healthcare.

He said work was underway on a national transplantation framework, including an organ transplantation Bill to provide the legal and regulatory basis for the safe and ethical delivery of such services.

“Issues of consent, donor protection, professional oversight and ongoing patient care require careful attention. We will draw on the expertise of the Ghana Medical Association and our specialists as this work progresses,” he stated.

On other healthcare infrastructure projects, President Mahama said the government was working to complete the 509-bed maternity and children's block at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, whose construction was disrupted by Ghana's debt defaults and subsequent debt restructuring.

He said the contractor was expected to return to the site shortly to resume work.

He also disclosed that construction had begun on a new 400-bed maternity and children's block at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, following the contractor's mobilisation to the site.

The President expressed concern about the deteriorating condition of the existing maternity and children's block at Korle Bu, saying its replacement was urgently needed.

“Indeed, I have been praying every night that the current block used by our mothers and children does not collapse before we complete the new one,” President Mahama said.

“The condition is so terrible, and we must pray that we complete the project quickly so that we can move them into the new facility.”

He further highlighted progress towards making the Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sewua operational, indicating that road construction had been completed and electricity connected to the facility, while work on the water supply pipeline was ongoing.

He said the hospital, when fully operational, would help reduce congestion and ease pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

The government has also allocated GH¢200 million in the 2027 Budget towards completing the long-delayed Police Hospital expansion project, which is expected to increase the facility's capacity to 300 beds.

President Mahama added that a new 100-bed Tamale Police Hospital would be opened soon, while the 160-bed La General Hospital, which has also experienced construction delays, was expected to be completed next year.

He further announced that work on the Afari Military Hospital in the Ashanti Region would resume next year.

The President said the government was also preparing 35 hospitals under the Agenda 111 programme for completion. The facilities, he explained, had each reached at least 70% completion and would be re-awarded to contractors to facilitate the continuation of construction.

He attributed the delays to challenges with the existing contracts, noting that the Attorney-General's Department was reviewing the agreements to clear the way for the projects to resume.