The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has highlighted a pressing concern regarding the severe shortage of trained paramedics and inherent systemic weaknesses in pre-hospital care.
During a media interaction, the Essikado-Ketan Member of Parliament underscored the grim reality of a healthcare system grappling with trauma cases, especially within the critical initial moments following an injury.
Dr. Ayensu-Danquah expressed alarm at the limited number of paramedics catering to the country’s population of approximately 31 million.
She emphasised that the likelihood of survival in trauma situations largely hinges on the interventions implemented within the first hour, commonly known as the ‘golden hour’ in medical terminology.
“We don’t have a lot of paramedics. I think we have only about eight paramedics in the whole country, so that’s also a huge issue. Then, once the ambulance gets to the patient, or the staff in the ambulance gets to the patient, what do they do? Are they able, in this case, to stop bleeding, meaning patching the wound and stopping the bleeding, or are they just putting bandages, plaster, or gauze on it?” she asked.
“There are certain things that should happen in the first hour. In trauma, we usually break it into three parts. The first 20 to 30 minutes is the most important time, and those decisions will influence what happens at the end. So, the ambulance picks the patient up, [and] what do they do?
“Elsewhere, you see people even having defibrillators to shock the person’s heart on site, before they even put the person in the ambulance.
Then you bring the person into the ambulance, and certain things should happen within the ambulance from where the patient is picked up to where they are dropped off,” she said.
She went on in stating that Ghana relies on a basic emergency response approach known as “scoop and run”.
“Here in Ghana, what we do is called a scoop and run. So, you scoop, you stabilise to the best of your ability depending on the ambulance staff, and then you run to the hospital,” she added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana