The state of emergency healthcare delivery in the Bolgatanga East District of the Upper East Region has come under scrutiny following an evaluation by RISE-Ghana, which has uncovered significant gaps in emergency transportation, referral coordination and local governance structures.
The findings paint a troubling picture of a district where patients requiring urgent medical attention may have to depend on private vehicles to reach higher-level health facilities, while the majority of the district’s available motorcycle ambulances remain out of service.
Speaking to selected journalists in the Upper East Region, the Executive Director of RISE-Ghana, Awal Ahmed Kariama, disclosed that the evaluation identified serious weaknesses in the district’s health referral system, raising concerns about the ability of communities to access timely and effective emergency healthcare.
The evaluation was conducted under the Evidence for Development (E4D) project, supported by the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), as part of efforts to strengthen local government accountability and improve public service delivery.
One of the most concerning findings was the limited availability of emergency transportation across the district.
According to Kariama, Bolgatanga East has only four motorcycle ambulances, commonly referred to as Motor Kings, although at least 16 are reportedly required to meet the district’s needs.
More worrying is that only one of the four available units was operational at the time of the assessment in 2026, leaving the district with a severely limited emergency transport capacity.
The implications for residents, particularly those in remote communities, could be significant. In emergencies where every minute matters, the absence of reliable transportation can complicate access to timely treatment and referrals to higher-level facilities.
The evaluation also examined referral records for 2025 and found that approximately 380 out of 395 patients referred to higher-level health facilities travelled using private means of transport.
The patients were referred from facilities within the district, including those in Zuarungu, to higher-level facilities such as the Bolgatanga Hospital.
The findings suggest that the district’s formal emergency transportation arrangements are not adequately supporting patients who need to be transferred for further medical care.
For families already struggling with the cost of healthcare, having to arrange private transportation during an emergency may create additional financial and logistical difficulties.
The evaluation further revealed that some communities have resorted to local arrangements to bridge the gap. Of the 20 health respondents interviewed, 15 identified community-based support mechanisms, including volunteer escorts and community transport funds, as ways of assisting patients who need referrals.
While these arrangements demonstrate community solidarity, they also highlight the extent to which residents are having to find their own solutions to gaps in the formal healthcare system.
Beyond the shortage of operational emergency transport, RISE-Ghana identified weaknesses in communication between referring health facilities and the institutions receiving patients.
According to Kariama, several health facilities lacked effective systems for ensuring that information about referred patients was communicated promptly and that feedback was received from the receiving facilities.
An effective referral system requires more than transporting a patient from one facility to another. It also depends on clear communication between health workers, proper documentation, timely feedback and continuity of care.
When these elements are missing, healthcare professionals may struggle to track patients’ progress, coordinate treatment and determine whether referrals have achieved their intended purpose.
Kariama said RISE-Ghana had shared the findings with the district health directorate, which indicated that it would take immediate steps to address some of the challenges.
Among the proposed measures is the development of standard operating procedures to guide referrals and improve communication between health facilities.
The directorate also intends to convene discussions on activating community support mechanisms as an immediate response while longer-term efforts are made to mobilise resources for additional emergency transport systems.
Such interventions could help reduce the burden on patients and families, although their effectiveness will depend on implementation, adequate resources and sustained monitoring.
The findings also raise broader questions about the adequacy of relying on a single ambulance to serve an entire district.
Even where a district has access to a conventional ambulance, the availability of smaller, community-based emergency transport systems can be important, particularly in areas where distance, road conditions and accessibility make it difficult to reach patients quickly.
For Bolgatanga East, the limited number of operational motorcycle ambulances means that patients in different communities may face competing demands for the same resources.
The situation highlights the need for a coordinated emergency transport system that links community-level health facilities with referral centres and provides reliable alternatives when conventional ambulance services are unavailable.
Strengthening this system will require collaboration among the district assembly, health authorities, community leaders, development partners and other stakeholders.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com/ Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen