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The National Ambulance Service (NAS) has extended its working engagement on the Integrated Bed Management and Referral Coordination System (IBMRCS) to the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), as preparations continue towards the full rollout of the system.
The engagement provided an opportunity for the NAS leadership and staff to gain deeper insight into UGMC’s existing bed management processes and examine how they can effectively integrate with the referral coordination component of the IBMRCS.
Dr. Nanaba A. Dawson-Amoah, Emergency Physician Specialist at UGMC, demonstrated the facility’s processes for monitoring bed availability across its wards. She explained how real-time information on bed availability and occupancy supports clinical decision-making and patient flow, while commending NAS for the instrumental role it continues to play in supporting emergency care.
UGMC has established a dedicated Bed Management Bureau, represented during the engagement by Facility Administrator, Madam Eunice Oduraa Dankyi, who explained the facility’s approach to real-time bed tracking and monitoring of bed occupancy.
The Chief Nursing Officer for Emergency and OPD, Madam Shirley Pokua Cann, also contributed to the discussions, highlighting the importance of collaboration among the various units involved in emergency and patient management.
Emphasising the importance of accurate and timely information, the NAS CEO, Dr. (Med) George Kojo Owusu, stressed that bed availability must be updated continuously to make the system as close to real-time as possible. He noted that effective referral coordination depends not only on visibility of available beds, but also on seamless collaboration among referring facilities, receiving hospitals and emergency responders.
Dr. Owusu further called for stronger coordination among the Emergency Unit, OPD and Bed Management Bureau, stressing that no unit should work in isolation. He also emphasised that all wards must be covered to ensure comprehensive and accurate bed availability information across the facility.
The engagement also sought to identify potential challenges and gaps in the existing processes, with a view to strengthening the system ahead of its full rollout.
The CEO noted that the integrated platform represents an important step in strengthening coordinated emergency referrals and places Ghana among the pioneering African countries pursuing advanced approaches to coordinated bed management and referral tracking.
The ongoing engagements form part of NAS’s broader commitment to strengthening prehospital emergency care, improving referral coordination and ensuring that emergency patients are connected to appropriate health facilities in a timely and efficient manner.
