Complaints gathered by Emergency Medical Technicians Association of Ghana (EMTAG) from our Dispatch Centers and field Responders indicates that some hospitals and members of the general public who call for Emergency Services are unwilling to disclose fully conditions of their patients or sick relatives due to suspicion for nCovid-19 infection. This practice puts our Emergency Response Personnel at high risk for COVID-19.
We wish to educate our various clients and partners that failure to supply appropriate patient’s information to EMS Dispatchers contravenes policies and procedures to give the public satisfactory care. Most importantly, our sixteen (16) regional Dispatch Centers have been given the mandate to release SPECIAL AMBULANCES AND TEAMS OF PARAMEDICS to Suspected COVID-19 cases to reduce risk of the infection and its spread. Therefore, failure or refusal to give full and accurate information about the condition of a caller’s patient is a major breach on National Ambulance Service (NAS) response guidelines to this pandemic.
As part of the new response protocols, only designated ambulances for COVID-19 across the 16 regions are supposed to respond to suspected cases. Our usual trauma, medical and industrial emergency responses are still being operated by our regular EMS professionals-EMTS. Withholding information relating to suspected COVID-19 patient would result in dispatching a routine EMS team to the patient. This is not only highly risky but also illegal.
The public is further assured that EMTAG charges its structures and members to strictly protect all of our clients’ confidentiality. No part of any patient’s information shall be shared with a third party unless it’s strictly required by a legal pursuit or for continuity of care by other medical institutions under the permission of the patient or his/her relatives.
EMTAG also wish to take this opportunity to appeal for donations in the form of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) and Hand Sanitizers from benevolent organizations and individuals to augment government supplies for COVID-19 response.
Willing donors may contact any Ambulance Station within the regions or EMTAG national office to donate.
Signed
SAEMT Gaani Michael Dimongso (President, EMTAG)
Service To Humanity, Our Priority
Signed
SAEMT Abdul-Mumin A.Muktadir (General Secretary, EMTAG)
