The National Democratic Congress (NDC) government inherited an uninsured and non-functional ambulance fleet, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has revealed.

Speaking to the media, he noted that all the ambulances were subsequently insured in 2025 by the incumbent government.

“When we took office, there were a lot of them that were grounded. And so in 2025 we insured all our ambulances.But as I speak to you now, we have more than 200 ambulances functioning. We are going to add brand new ones, with 100 vehicles. Well, we have not taken the decision yet.

“But I believe that if you have an ambulance within a particular area, and that ambulance is faulty, or is no longer functional, it’s only fair to replace that ambulance. We can only build on that as a system, and governance is a continuum.If we think that that system has served us well, why do we have to revamp?.

“The status of the ambulances is also that we came to hear a situation where none of our ambulances were insured. I get this feedback that we don’t have ambulances, and all our ambulances have been grounded, and all that,” he said.

The Minister’s comments come against the backdrop of concerns previously raised about the operational status of Ghana’s ambulance fleet.

In 2024, Mintah Akandoh revealed that out of the 307 ambulances imported and commissioned by President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2020, 91 were non-operational, with 79 having completely broken down and 12 involved in accidents.

Mr. Akandoh previously raised the concerns during a budget estimates debate for the Ministry of Health, where he also drew attention to funding challenges facing the National Ambulance Service.

“In 2022, the National Ambulance Service recorded not less than 41,000 cases; in 2023, as at the time they appeared before us, they had recorded only 27,000 cases.”

“Mr. Speaker, as I have read from the report, out of about GH¢67 million in allocation, they have received only GH¢20 million. Mr. Speaker, out of the 307 ambulances that were imported into this country in 2020, about 79 have completely broken down and are not in operation, and about 12 have been involved in accidents. All in all, about 91 of the ambulances are not in operation, and if we continue this way, four years from now, we will not have any ambulances left in the fleet.”

The figures highlight the pressure on the National Ambulance Service to maintain an operational fleet amid demand for emergency medical services.

In 2022 alone, the service recorded more than 41,000 cases, while 27,000 cases had been recorded by the time officials appeared before Parliament in 2023.

The funding shortfall also remains a concern, with the service receiving GH¢20 million out of an allocation of approximately GH¢67 million, according to the figures cited by Mr. Akandoh.

The Health Minister's latest comments indicate that the government is seeking to strengthen the ambulance fleet, including through the possible addition of 100 new vehicles.