The two-week training programme on the National Integrated Bed Management and Referral Coordination System (NIBMRCS), aimed at addressing the persistent challenge of the “no bed syndrome” in Ghana’s healthcare system, ended yesterday at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
The training, organised as part of efforts by the Ministry of Health to improve the coordination of patient referrals and the availability of hospital beds, focused on equipping selected Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) with the knowledge and skills to operate the system effectively.
Participants were taken through key components of the system, including the Dispatch Console, Referral Ambulance Pickups, Find Bed, Unit Status Board, Ambulance Rules and Ambulance Stations. The system provides essential information to facilitate the identification and securing of available beds at receiving health facilities.
The initiative is a collaborative effort involving the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the National Ambulance Service (NAS). These institutions have been selected for the pilot phase, with plans to subsequently migrate additional health facilities onto the system.
In all, 129 selected personnel from the 44 ambulance stations across the Greater Accra Region participated in the training as trainer-of-trainees. The participants are expected to return to their respective stations and train other personnel on the operation of the system.
At the closing ceremony, the Deputy Director of Training and Development, Mrs. Fati Masud Salifu, who represented the Chief Executive Officer of the National Ambulance Service, Dr. (Med.) George Kojo Owusu, commended the training team for their dedication and selfless efforts towards the successful implementation of the programme.
She urged the EMTs to pay critical attention to the operation of the system to enable them to effectively train other personnel at their respective stations.
The Deputy Director of Information Technology, Mr. Edmund Boateng, also underscored the importance of leveraging Information Technology to make work more efficient and easier.
He congratulated the training team and participants for successfully completing the two-week programme.
The Chief Facilitator, Mr. Richard Asravor, urged the EMTs to actively utilise the new system and provide timely feedback to help improve its efficiency and effectiveness.
The NIBMRCS is expected to enhance real-time coordination between ambulance services and receiving health facilities, thereby reducing delays in securing beds and improving the timely referral of patients.
