Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Tricycle ambulances are saving lives in Ghana
In Ghana, there are only 356 ambulances for a population of 35 million,
approximately one ambulance per 10,000 people. However, hundreds of thousands
of people in rural areas do not have access to ambulance services. There, maternal
mortality remains comparatively high, with 234 deaths per 100,000 live births, 14
times higher than in the US. Most of these deaths occur in rural areas, where
access to hospitals is limited or none. Then a non-profit called Moving Health
came up with a practical and economical vehicle for about-to-be mothers: a tricycle
ambulance. It is powered by a motorcycle engine and equipped with a stretcher, a
seat for a carer, basic life support, and emergency birthing kits. It costs
only $7,000, much cheaper compared with a full-spec ambulance that usually costs
at least $75,000. The organization has placed 31 tricycle ambulances in five
districts so far, serving more than 230,000 people, who otherwise have no
access to an ambulance. Tricycle ambulances can serve in rural areas as they
are engineered to drive narrow, rough roads where four-wheel ambulances cannot.
Just like three-wheel tuk-tuks are transporting many passengers in Asia, tricycle
ambulances may become popular emergency vehicles in Africa.
Read the article and learn about a three-wheel solution to maternal mortality
in Ghana.
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