The management of the National Ambulance Service has asked the general public to respect the sirens of emergency vehicles in the country.
According to them, the majority of road users do not respect sirens of emergency vehicles on Ghana’s roads, a situation they say delays timely healthcare delivery.
[contextly_sidebar id=”1Tq4QIlIj4yGdrEiLgc97PiPOBhdDhCY”]In an interview with Citi News, the Eastern Regional Administrative Manager of the National Ambulance Service, Michael Daani Dimongso, called on the public to recognize emergency sirens to help save lives of people in distress.
“Sometimes the public hears the siren of the ambulance and other emergency vehicles, yet they do not pay attention to it, no one will just put on the siren if there is no emergency so we are entreating the public to pay particular attention whenever they hear or see the ambulance, fire tender or other emergency vehicles because may be at the time you left home the friend or relative you left behind may have been involved in something. Sometimes we disregard these details, and we end up being affected so we should pay attention to sirens”.
Mr. Dimongso also indicated that the intensive traffic congestion in the urban areas also obstructs their activities.
“We experience huge blockages especially on market days, and anytime there are activities ongoing in town, and emergency vehicles are asking for passage, sometimes people misconstrue it and say that this is the attitude of these emergency caregivers but it is not true. There is no way fire service will be blaring their sirens same as the police, army or the national ambulance service without any good course of really using the emergency protocols; so anytime you see those emergency vehicles pass, it should tell you someone needs help”.
Sensitization
The Service is also advocating for increased awareness on the appropriate ways for responding to ambulances on the road in emergencies.
The government is expected to provide every constituency with an ambulance to improve emergency care in the country.
Daani Dimongso said to Citi News, “now as we are expecting more ambulances; some of their activities including the blaring of sirens will be a nuisance to the public, but we are encouraging the public to accommodate us in those situations.”
Mr. Daani further called for intensive education to sensitize the general public about the need to adhere to emergency sirens.
“Though there is some form of education, people still have a kind of perception as to the usage of the emergency sirens; we need to really work on the education because it is not enough. We need to hammer it, educate the public and let them understand why they need to give way to emergency vehicles”.
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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku | citinewsroom.com | niikanarku@gmail.com
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