Thirty of the ambulances that were at the centre of a controversy over whether or not they were fit for purpose, because they were said to be mere buses that had been imported and were to be retrofitted for proper use as ambulances and had been parked at the Burma Camp in Accra for many years, have now been handed over to National Security.
The National Security outfit is to refurbish them and integrate them into the national emergency response fleet.
The Ministry of Health (MoH), in collaboration with the National Ambulance Service (NAS), at the weekend handed over the 30 ambulances stationed at the Ghana Air Force Base at Burma Camp in Accra to National Security.
They were procured under a 2012 contract; but when they arrived later, former Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, who had assumed office in 2017 as the sector minister, said the vehicles lacked essential equipment and safety features, prompting allegations they were not fit for purpose.
It became an issue for prosecution in court by the Attorney General, and in his testimony in court, the then sector minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu testified that the 30 vehicles imported for the National Ambulance Service were defective, improperly fitted Sprinter buses rather than functional medical vehicles.
However, his immediate predecessor, Alex Segbefia, disagreed, arguing that the Akufo-Addo administration was simply refusing to clear the accessories at the Tema Port to have them fixed in the ambulances so that they could make them fit for purpose.
The ambulances, purchased at a cost of about 3.5 million euros, formed part of the first batch of 200 buses which were expected to be procured in 2011 to improve ambulance services.
However, after inspecting the vehicles when they arrived, they were declared unfit for purpose, since they did not come with the necessary equipment and accessories fitted to enable them to function.
The latest development with the handover to National Security at the weekend, according to the National Ambulance Service, follows the legal clearance from the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, which is said to have authorised the Ministry of Health to retrieve and assess the vehicles for potential operational use.
In a statement issued on Saturday (August 15, 2026), the National Ambulance Service explained that an initial assessment of the ambulances has been undertaken by the State Transport Company (STC), with further technical checks expected to determine their roadworthiness and the extent of refurbishment required before any of the vehicles can be deployed.
It said the handover forms part of efforts by the government to recover and restore available emergency response assets to strengthen the operational capacity of the National Ambulance Service and improve access to timely pre-hospital emergency care across the country.
Present at the handover were the Legal Adviser to the Minister for Health, Abubakar Mutiu-Rahaman; the Board Chairman of the National Ambulance Service, Nana Baffour Kotei Kutin Sraman II who is the Bremanhene; the Chief Executive Officer of NAS, Dr. George Kojo Owusu; and representatives of the National Security and the Ghana Armed Forces.
The keys to the 30 ambulances were formally presented to a representative of National Security, who will oversee the refurbishment process.
It said following the refurbishment, the ambulances will be subjected to the necessary technical and roadworthiness assessments before being cleared for operational deployment.
It said the addition of the vehicles, once refurbished and certified for use, is expected to provide a significant boost to the emergency ambulance fleet and enhance the Service’s capacity to respond to medical emergencies and transport patients safely and promptly.
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