The International Centre for Enterprise and Sustainable Development (ICED), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting small and medium scale enterprises, has presented two ambulances to the Lambussie and Karni Health centres in the Lambussie/Karni District.
Prof Emmanuel K. Boon, the Chairman of ICED who presented the ambulances at a forum of health workers at Lambussie, said the lack of ambulance services had been identified as a major factor leading to maternal and child deaths during delivery.
"I witnessed the death of a pregnant woman who was carried on a bicycle to the hospital and she died."
"These are development challenges that touched the NGO to purchase the ambulances for the two health centres to facilitate the movement of the sick to hospitals for early treatment", Prof Boon said.
Prof Boon, a lecturer in Human Ecology and Environmental Management at the Free University of Brussels, appealed to husbands to encourage their
pregnant wives and sisters to take advantage of services of the ambulances to attend antenatal services.
Mr. Clement B. Benin, the Lambussie/Karni District Chief Executive, said the ambulances had come at a time when maternal death rate in the
region was on the ascendancy.
He said one of the key factors identified for that anomaly had been the lack of ambulance services in most rural communities to help transport the sick to health centres for treatment.
The provision of the ambulances was therefore not only meant to help reduce maternal and other deaths in the communities but it was also to
assist the government to deliver on its agenda of providing accessible and affordable health services to the people.
Mr. Benin said the ICED interventions in the district had helped to transform lives and improved educational standards in the area.
The district assembly has therefore identified ICED as a strong and reliable partner and would join forces with it to fast track the development
of the district.
He appealed to the NGO to take keen interest in the preparation of the three-year medium term development plan of the assembly to encourage joint programmes to achieve common development objectives.
Madam Francisca Bagni, District Health Director, thanked the NGO and Profr Boon for the donation.