Ghana’s Ambulance Service warns oxygen shortages and funding gaps threaten emergency care
The Ghana National Ambulance Service (NAS) has sounded the alarm over critical shortages of medical oxygen and the absence of dedicated funding, warning that these challenges are undermining the country’s emergency response capacity.
Dr Simon Akayiri Nyaaba, Deputy Director for Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation at NAS, disclosed the concerns during an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. He explained that ambulances rely heavily on oxygen to stabilise patients, yet the service has no 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,” Dr Nyaaba said.
Beyond oxygen supply, Dr Nyaaba pointed to the lack of a sustainable financing model as the service’s most pressing challenge. “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,” he explained.
NAS has previously acknowledged that most of its vehicles, acquired in 2019, have exceeded their five‑year lifespan. Frequent breakdowns and maintenance problems have reduced the availability of ambulances for emergencies, leaving communities vulnerable.
The revelations come amid renewed public debate over Ghana’s “no bed syndrome,” where patients are turned away from hospitals due to overcrowding and limited resources. Dr Nyaaba warned that without reliable ambulance services and oxygen supply, the crisis in hospital admissions will only worsen.
The deputy director urged immediate interventions to secure a consistent supply of medical oxygen, establish dedicated funding streams, and strengthen infrastructure. He emphasised that without these measures, Ghana risks losing more lives to preventable emergencies.
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