Abena Amedormey, Country Representative of CRS, presenting keys of the ambulances to the directors. INSET: Some of the tricycle ambulances

Tricycle ambulances presented to northern health directorates

Mohammed Fugu Mar - 14 - 2025 , 10:27 2 minutes read

The Catholic Relief Services (CRS), a non-governmental organisation, has handed over 20 modified tricycle motor ambulances to district and municipal health directorates to enhance emergency response and improve access to quality healthcare in hard-to-reach communities in northern Ghana.

The ambulances are specifically designed to navigate difficult terrains to ensure that pregnant women, mothers and children in remote communities receive timely medical attention.

The beneficiary areas are the Yendi, Nanumba North, Gushegu and West Gonja municipal districts, the Nabdam, Mamprugu-Moagduri, East Mamprusi, West Mamprusi, Talensi and Central Gonja districts.

The gesture formed part of the Holistic Opportunities for Positive Engagement in Maternal and Child Health (HOPE-MCH) Project funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

The project aims to improve access to comprehensive health services for mothers and children under three years old.

Improve

Handing over the ambulances at a brief ceremony in Tamale, the Country Representative of the CRS, Abena Amedormey, indicated that the initiative would help improve emergency medical responses in the rural areas.

Some of the tricycle ambulances

This she said, would help address maternal and newborn mortality rates.

She explained that transportation barriers have been a critical contributing factor to high maternal and child mortality, particularly in underserved areas of northern Ghana.

“For countless families in northern Ghana, the difference between life and death is often determined by how quickly they can reach a healthcare facility,” she stated.

Ms Amedormey added that the HOPE-MCH project, implemented in collaboration with MAP International and The Hunger Project, sought to improve healthcare for over 230,000 individuals and enhance services across 100 health facilities in the four regions.

For his part, the Upper East Regional Health Director, Dr Samuel K. Boakye-Boateng, commended the CRS and its partners for their invaluable support.

He said the initiative would significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the beneficiary districts.

Dr Boakye-Boateng also assured the donors and partners that the ambulances would be used judiciously for their intended purpose to ensure that healthcare delivery in these remote areas is greatly improved.