Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has handed over 20 Modified Motor-Tricycle Ambulances (MMTAs) to 10 districts across the Upper East, North East, Savannah, and Northern Regions to enhance emergency response and improve access to quality healthcare in hard-to-reach communities.

The donation, made to the Ghana Health Service and the National Ambulance Service, aims to tackle one of the most critical challenges contributing to high maternal and newborn mortality in rural Ghana—delays in reaching healthcare facilities.

Under the Holistic Opportunities for Positive Engagement in Maternal and Child Health (HOPE-MCH) project, funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, CRS is working to expand access to essential maternal and newborn services for pregnant women, mothers, and children under three in the four regions.

By providing terrain-friendly, low-cost ambulances, the initiative ensures that mothers and children in remote areas can receive timely emergency healthcare.

These modified ambulances are specifically designed to navigate Northern Ghana’s challenging terrain, where conventional vehicles struggle to reach rural communities.

The HOPE-MCH project, implemented in collaboration with MAP International and The Hunger Project, aims to improve healthcare for over 230,000 individuals while strengthening services across 100 health facilities in the beneficiary regions.

Speaking at the handing-over ceremony, Madam Abena Amedormey, Country Representative of CRS Ghana, emphasised that transportation challenges have long been a significant factor in high maternal and child mortality rates in underserved areas, particularly in Northern Ghana.

She pointed out that poor road infrastructure and the lack of reliable emergency transport services often prevent women and children from accessing life-saving healthcare on time.

"For countless families in Northern Ghana, the difference between life and death is often determined by the speed with which they can reach a healthcare facility," Madam Amedormey stated.

The Regional Health Director for the Upper East Region, Dr. Samuel K. Boakye-Boateng, expressed his appreciation to CRS and its partners.

He noted that the initiative would significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the beneficiary districts incluing Yendi, Nanumba North, Gushegu, Central Gonja, West Gonja, East Mamprusi, West Mamprusi, Mamprugu Moagduri, Talensi and Nabdam.

Dr. Foster Ansong Bridjan, Acting Director of Operations at the National Ambulance Service, stated that the tricycle ambulances would play a complementary role in healthcare delivery, especially in rural areas where access to medical services is limited.

Similarly, Dr. Braimah Baba Abubakari, North East Regional Health Director, welcomed the donation, noting that it would help address transportation challenges in the region. He disclosed that the North East Region had recorded one maternal death in the first quarter of 2025.

The CRS donation marks a significant step toward improving maternal and child healthcare in Ghana’s rural communities, ensuring that critical medical services reach those who need them the most.