Ambulance Service technicians highly trained - Management refutes incompetence claims
The Management of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) has rejected claims that Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) of the service are poorly trained, stating that such assertions undermine public confidence in the country’s emergency healthcare system.
The NAS said its EMTs were professionally trained and certified to provide pre-hospital emergency care and had over the years demonstrated competence and dedication in responding to emergencies across the country.
The service said its reaction followed comments made by the Chairman of the committee set up by the Minister of Health to investigate the death of Charles Amissah, Professor Agyeman-Badu Akosa, during an interview on Channel One TV’s Point of View programme last Wednesday.
In a press statement signed by the Deputy Director of Public Relations of the service, Simmons Yussif Kewura, the NAS said Prof. Akosa described EMTs of the National Ambulance Service as “poorly trained” while discussing investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Charles Amissah.
The management of the NAS said although it appreciated the work of the committee and its recommendations aimed at improving emergency healthcare delivery, it strongly disagreed with the remarks on the competence of EMTs.
“The National Ambulance Service wishes to respectfully but firmly reject this unfortunate assertion,” the statement said.
It added that the comments had the tendency to erode public trust in a critical public health institution that had served the country professionally for more than two decades.
Training
The service explained that EMTs were trained by qualified medical doctors, emergency physicians, paramedics, nurse specialists and other experienced healthcare professionals.
It said the officers underwent rigorous theoretical and practical training and were certified to practise within the approved scope of their profession.
The statement further stated that the NAS had consistently provided professional pre-hospital emergency medical services nationwide, responding to thousands of medical emergencies, road traffic crashes, disasters and inter-facility transfers.
Commitment
The NAS expressed its commitment to continuous professional development and regular capacity-building programmes for EMTs to ensure quality emergency response services.
As part of ongoing reforms, the service stated that it was reviewing and expanding its existing curriculum for both basic and advanced EMT programmes to strengthen competencies and improve service delivery.
The NAS also announced plans to upgrade its current certificate-based EMT training programmes into diploma and degree-awarding programmes as part of efforts to align emergency medical training in the country with international best practices.
“The National Ambulance Service remains fully committed to improving emergency medical response systems and ensuring professionalism, competence and efficiency in the discharge of its mandate.”
“The dedication, professionalism, and sacrifices of EMTs across the country continue to save lives daily and deserve commendation rather than generalised disparagement,” it said.
