By Ismaila Jimoh, Abuja
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has disclosed that it has taken delivery of no fewer than 12 brand new special ambulances in other to ensure proper health care needs of the residents.
This was made to known by the Mandate Secretary, FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe at the end of the FCT Exco Meeting which was presided by the Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike in Abuja.
She disclosed that the 12 acquired brand new special ambulances are up to the international standards and technical specifications, and would be commissioned soon, adding that plans are underway for the FCT Administration to also acquire hearses too.
Fasawe condemned the attitudes whereby ambulances have been use to carry corpse in the territory, describing it as unethical.
“Today at the Executive Council meeting a contract has been ratified and I am very pleased to say for the first time in about nine years FCT will get 12 brand new special ambulances. These ambulances are according to international standards and technical specifications. They have been delivered and will be commissioned soon.
“The essence of this is with the good roads we have, it makes it easier for us to get into the suburbs. A journey that would have taken 20 minutes now takes 5 minutes. Now we have ambulances it may take only 3 minutes. So this is another work that you can see. It is not only when we construct that we are working. The systems are working. The system is very grateful for the purchase of these 12 ambulances and it is for the good of the FCT.
“There are 12 units of Toyota Hiace Hiroof 2023-2024 model, five-speed manual, keyless entry, airbag, six-cylinder, Bluetooth system, central locking, in fact a state-of-the-art ambulance.
“Twelve of them were purchased for the sum of 1,741,500,000 Naira only with a completion period of four weeks. We have received the ambulances and they will be commissioned soon. These are all specially fitted ambulances.
“On carrying corpses in FCT, we have zero tolerance for an ambulance to carry a corpse. It’s not ethical because a living person will lie on that stretcher without decontamination. So we are also looking into buying hearses in the next budget, specifically to carry dead bodies”, Fasawe stated.
