ECOWAS, thru the West African Health Organization (WAHO), in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), has held the official handover ceremony of thirty Land Cruiser 78 Series medical ambulances, fitted with biomedical equipment, for the benefit of 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 and representatives of ECOWAS Member States. It also marked the official start of the distribution 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 their warm welcome.
“The acquisition of these 30 ambulances also symbolizes the commitment of ECOWAS, WAHO, UNOPS and the member states to strengthening health systems, improving access to emergency care and promoting 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 heart of community action.
“Through this initiative, we confirm once again that ECOWAS is a community that acts, a community that protects and a community that places human well-being at the heart of its integration agenda.” he said.
“I am participating with emotion and a sense of accomplishment,” said Ms. Tchintchibidja, Vise President of the Commission, “one of the final official acts of the outgoing Commission after a four-year term marked by major health, security and institutional challenges.
She also paid tribute to ECOWAS Commission President Dr Omar Alieu Touray for his leadership and congratulated the Commissioners, the Director General of WAHO, the staff of the institutions, the member states, and UNOPS for their dedication, while calling for continuity of the Community’s mission.
“A commission is for a day, but a mission is for a lifetime. Our institutions of community are larger than the men and women who serve them for a moment. That is why I hope that the work we have begun will be continued with the same determination, and I give the warmest encouragement to those who will have the honor of taking over from 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.
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On behalf of the Togolese government, Togo’s Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Mr. Tessi, commended ECOWAS and WAHO for this initiative which contributes to improving and strengthening the responsiveness of the health systems in Togo and the other ECOWAS member States.
In his remarks, Dr Aïssi emphasized 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.
He added that these ambulances represent a major asset for regional health resilience, provided they are accompanied by effective management, sustainable maintenance and qualified human resources.
“The health resilience of a region depends not only on the capacity of each country, but also on our collective ability to act together, in perfect harmony, under a single, tailored regional coordination framework,” said Dr Aïssi.
Mr Kossi Edjam, speaking on behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, thanked ECOWAS, WAHO and UNOPS for this symbolic initiative.
He said he was happy to have helped train hospital staff to use ambulances and he promised to ensure that they would be used responsibly.