Assembly Member for the Wuxor, Have and Sremanu Electoral Area in the Akatsi South Municipality and NDC Communications Team Member, Hon. Japhet Festus Gbede, has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama over the prolonged absence of a functional ambulance in Akatsi South, demanding immediate government intervention to save lives in the municipality.
In a strongly worded petition addressed directly to President Mahama, Hon. Gbede said Akatsi South has been without a functional ambulance since 2019, describing the situation as an unacceptable public health emergency that can no longer be allowed to continue.
The Assembly Member’s petition comes against the backdrop of repeated appeals and interventions by stakeholders, including the Member of Parliament for Akatsi South and the Municipal Chief Executive, towards securing an ambulance for the municipality.
Despite these efforts, Hon. Gbede said Akatsi South remains without the essential emergency medical resource, while other constituencies across the country continue to receive ambulances.
He therefore posed a pointed question to the government and relevant authorities: “What exactly has Akatsi South done to deserve such prolonged neglect? What treasonable offence has this Municipality committed to justify the continued denial of an essential emergency medical resource?”
He further questioned why residents of Akatsi South should be exposed to the possibility of losing their loved ones simply because the State has failed to provide an ambulance for timely emergency transportation.
“This is not about NDC or NPP”
Hon. Gbede, who is also a member of the NDC Communications Team, stressed that his demand should not be interpreted through a partisan lens, arguing that the provision of emergency healthcare transcends political affiliation.
According to him, it is not only appropriate but necessary for members of the governing party to speak firmly when essential services required by their constituents are lacking.
“The provision of an ambulance must never be reduced to a matter of political affiliation. An ambulance does not belong to the NDC, the NPP or any other political organisation. It belongs to the people and exists to preserve human life,” he stated.
He said the fact that he is a member of the NDC Communications Team does not prevent him from demanding action from an NDC government when the welfare of his constituents is at stake.
Akatsi South’s support for Mahama and NDC
Hon. Gbede further drew attention to the electoral support Akatsi South gave President Mahama and the NDC in the 2024 general election, arguing that the municipality’s overwhelming support should reinforce the urgency with which the President must respond to the situation.
He said Akatsi South has historically demonstrated strong electoral support for the NDC and President John Dramani Mahama, including recording one of the highest percentage votes for the President and the NDC in the constituency’s electoral history.
According to him, that support is not being raised as a political entitlement but as evidence of the strong relationship between the people of Akatsi South and the government they elected.
“The people of Akatsi South have demonstrated their confidence in President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC. It is therefore only appropriate that the President personally intervenes to ensure that this long standing challenge is resolved,” he argued.
He stressed that government must not wait for another avoidable tragedy before acting.
“Our people are dying every day”
The Assembly Member warned that the absence of an ambulance has placed residents at unnecessary risk, particularly patients requiring urgent transfer to higher medical institutions.
He noted that emergency cases involving severe trauma, stroke, complications arising from childbirth, respiratory distress, serious injuries and cardiac complications require immediate transportation, warning that delays can have fatal consequences.
“Our people are dying every day,” Hon. Gbede said, insisting that the matter must no longer be treated as an ordinary administrative issue.
He said families are sometimes forced to scramble for taxis, motorbikes, private vehicles and other alternatives during emergencies, when every passing minute can determine whether a patient survives.
According to him, the situation has persisted for nearly seven years despite repeated appeals, making it difficult to justify continued inaction.
The outspoken communicator has therefore called on President Mahama to personally intervene and direct the immediate provision of a fully functional ambulance to Akatsi South Municipality.
He said the government has a responsibility to ensure equitable access to essential emergency healthcare services across the country and must not allow Akatsi South to remain disadvantaged.
“The people of Akatsi South are citizens of Ghana, and their lives must carry the same value, dignity and urgency as every other Ghanaian life,” he stated.
He added that the patience of the people must not be mistaken for acceptance, stressing that several petitions, appeals and interventions have already been made without resolving the problem.
The petition concluded with a direct message to government: “I respectfully demand action, not another promise.”
Hon. Gbede’s petition to President Mahama was copied to several key state officials and institutions, including the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament, the Right Honourable First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, the Council of State, the Minister for Health and the Volta Regional Minister.
