The Minister of Health, Dr. George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, has reiterated government's plans to overhaul emergency services delivered by hospitals in the country. The plan will see to the passage of the National Ambulance Bill and the provision of modern medical equipment for health centres around the country. Dr. Yankey made the disclosure when he visited the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Tuesday to assess emergency facilities there and to participate in the commemoration of this year's World Health Day. The 2009 event focused on the flexibility and safety of health facilities, as well as the health workers who treat people. Officials at Korle Bu say the hospital has limited facilities, including ambulances to convey accident victims to the centre. The National Ambulance Service (NAS) has only 41 ambulances for use in the country with only six for the whole of the Greater Accra Region. Dr Yankey hinted that the passage of the ambulance bill into law will enable the right steps to be taken in the operation of ambulance services for Ghanaians in times of need. Meanwhile the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Elias Sory, says management of Korle Bu must bear some responsibility in improving facilities there. He decried the poor state of equipment at the hospital and called for immediate action to revamp the nation's number one referral centre. "Korle Bu itself is just like any other regional hospital when it should be performing more than that," he stressed. The hospital's emergency centre receives 40 new patients everyday but there are only 46 beds there. Story by Fiifi Koomson