Emergency Committee Reborn
By Michael Ciaglo & Jamila Akweley Okertchiri

Health Minister Joseph Yieleh Chireh on Tuesday inaugurated members of the Emergency Services Committee to improve handling of medical emergencies in the country.

Currently the health care system focuses on the prevention of illness as its primary health objective, rather than time-sensitive injuries and sicknesses.

“The provision of timely treatment during life-threatening emergencies is not a priority for many health systems in developing countries, and, I think, ours is not an exception,” Mr. Chireh stated.

The minister also observed that the response to medical emergencies by medical professionals is one of the least addressed issues by the health sector.

“It is in this light that, I, the minister of health, have requested for the reconstitution of this committee to oversee emergency services in Ghana,” Mr. Chireh said.

The sector minister also stated that recognizing improved organizations and planning for provision of trauma and emergency care is an essential part of integrated health care delivery.

This, he said, plays an important role in the preparation for, and response to, mass-casualty incidents which can lower mortality, reduce disability and prevent other adverse health outcomes arising from the burden of everyday injuries.

Therefore, acting on the requests of the director-general of the World Health Organization to strengthen emergency and rehabilitation services and to improve systems for treating trauma victims, Mr. Chireh tasked the 28 member Emergency Services Committee with advancing these services.

“The purpose of the Committee is to develop and/or strengthen Emergency Medical Care Systems in Ghana with the ultimate aim of improving the health of the population and meeting expectations for access to emergency care,” Mr. Chireh said.

The Emergency Services Committee is comprised of three sub-committees: Care in the Community/First Responders, Pre-Hospital Emergency Services and Emergency Services in Heath Institutions.

“The reason of the minister in creating these three sub-committees is to assure that as a country we look at emergency care holistically right from the community, to the health institutions,” said Committee Chairman Dr. Ahmed Nuhu Zakariah. “And once we are resourced enough and supported to weight, we can guarantee adequate emergency care in the country.”

Dr. Ahmed Nuhu Zakariah addresses the newly inaugurated emergency services committee.