Only 40 ambulances serve 5.2 million in Accra – Ambulance Service

The Regional Manager of the National Ambulance Service in Greater Accra, Daniel Asare, has raised alarms over the dire shortage of ambulances serving the region’s growing population.

With just 40 operational ambulances for over 5.2 million residents, he warned that lives are at risk due to delays in emergency response.

Mr. Asare explained that the World Health Organisation recommends one ambulance for every 50,000 people, a standard Ghana falls far short of in the capital.

“In line with WHO standards, one ambulance is recommended for every 50,000 people. But in Greater Accra, we are operating with just 40 ambulances for a population of over 5.2 million,” he said.

The shortage, he added, places enormous pressure on emergency teams and severely limits their ability to respond to multiple calls across the city at once.

“Sometimes, we get simultaneous emergency calls in different parts of the city, and we simply do not have enough ambulances to respond to all of them in real time,” he noted.

Despite previous efforts, including the commissioning of 307 new ambulances by the NPP government in 2020, accessibility and availability remain major challenges.

These ambulances were part of a campaign promise to enhance emergency healthcare and were equipped with life support systems and GPS tracking.

Speaking on June 4, 2025, Mr. Asare called for immediate government support, not just in adding more ambulances but also in upgrading existing resources and investing in rapid response tools.

“We must resource the frontline adequately. Lives are being lost because we can’t reach patients quickly enough,” he stressed.