ECOWAS Strengthens Emergency Medical Response With Ambulance Deployment In Togo

ECOWAS thru the West African Health Organization (WAHO) in partnership with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has conducted the official handover ceremony of thirty Land Cruiser 78 Series medical ambulances, equipped with biomedical equipment, for the benefit of the ECOWAS member states.

The ceremony in Lomé, Togo, was attended by President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, Ms. Damtien Tchintchibidja; Minister for Health, Public Hygiene, Universal Health Coverage and Insurance of the Togolese Republic, Mr. Jean-Marie Tessi; Director-General of WAHO, Dr Melchior Athanase Aïssi and Mr. Kossi Edjam, representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as well as representatives of ECOWAS Member States. It also signaled the formal commencement of the deployment of ambulances to the beneficiary states.

In his statement, Dr Touray began by thanking the President of the Council of Ministers of the Togolese Republic, Mr Faure Gnassingbe, and the Government and people of Togo for the warm welcome he had received.

“The acquisition of these 30 ambulances is not only a demonstration of the commitment of ECOWAS, WAHO, UNOPS and the member states to strengthen health systems, improve access to emergency care and advance universal health coverage,” he said. It is also the result of an exemplary regional partnership based on solidarity, resilience and collective responsibility and which puts people at the center of community action.

“With this initiative, we reaffirm once again that ECOWAS is a community that acts, a community that protects and a community that puts human well-being at the center of its integration agenda,” he said.

Ms. Tchintchibidja, Vise President of the Commission, said she was participating in this ceremony with emotion and a sense of accomplishment, which is one of the final official acts of the outgoing Commission after a four-year term marked by major health, security and institutional challenges.

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She also commended the ECOWAS Commission President Dr Omar Alieu Touray for his leadership, congratulated the Commissioners, the Director General of WAHO, the staff of the institutions, the member states and UNOPS for their dedication and called for continuity of the Community’s mission.

“A commission is for a day but a mission is for a life time. Our institutions of community are larger than the men and women who serve them for a time. That is why I hope that the work we have begun will be carried on with the same determination. I give the warmest encouragement to those who will have the honor of coming after us.

These thirty ambulances will remain, long after we have left, a tangible testament to what we sought to achieve together: bringing healthcare closer to communities, strengthening the health resilience of our region and making solidarity and regional integration in health care a daily reality for the peoples of West Africa,” she said.

The Togolese Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Mr. Tessi, on behalf of the Togolese government, congratulated ECOWAS and WAHO for this initiative which contributes to improve and strengthen the responsiveness of the health systems in Togo and the other ECOWAS member States.

Dr Aïssi said in his remarks that this initiative was made possible thanks to the leadership of the ECOWAS Commission, the strategic partnership between WAHO and UNOPS, as well as the support of member States.

“These ambulances are a major asset for regional health resilience, if they are accompanied by effective management, sustainable maintenance and qualified human resources,” he added.

“The health resilience of a region is not only a question of the capacity of each country, but also of our collective ability to act together, in perfect harmony, within a single, tailored regional coordination framework,” Dr Aïssi said.

Speaking on behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Mr Kossi Edjam thanked ECOWAS, WAHO and UNOPS for this symbolic initiative.

He said he was happy to help train hospital staff to use the ambulances and promised to make sure they are used responsibly.