Dr Simon Akayiri Nyaaba, Deputy Director for Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PPME) at the Ghana National Ambulance Service (NAS), has raised concerns over critical shortages of oxygen and the lack of dedicated funding, which he says undermine emergency response efforts across the country.
Speaking on the Joy Super Morning Show on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, Dr Nyaaba explained that NAS ambulances rely heavily on oxygen, a key life-saving commodity, but the service currently has no oxygen plant of its own.
“As we speak now, we do not even have an oxygen plant of our own. We rely on external sources, and sometimes when they have shortages of their own, or they have operational issues, then we have difficulties in that regard,” he said.
He added that the broader challenge lies in the absence of a sustainable and reliable source of funding for NAS operations.
“The main issue, I would say, is that we lack a sustainable, reliable, and dedicated source of funding…That will allow for some kind of fleet renewal program. It will allow for development of the infrastructure, the educational programs that we have chartered as a way forward in addressing some of these challenges,” Dr Nyaaba said.
These revelations come amid a renewed public conversation on Ghana’s “no bed syndrome,” where patients are often turned away from hospitals due to bed shortages.
NAS has previously highlighted that the majority of its fleet, many acquired in 2019, have surpassed their five-year expected lifespan, leading to frequent maintenance issues that limit ambulances’ availability for emergency cases.
The deputy director urged immediate policy interventions to ensure a reliable supply of medical oxygen, adequate funding for fleet renewal, and strengthened infrastructure to improve emergency response and patient outcomes.
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