Computer system to enable emergency service providers to track location of distress calls introduced - Veep
Government has introduced a computer system that enables emergency service providers such as the police, fire and ambulance service to track the exact location of distress calls and respond rapidly.
From next month, these emergency service providers will be able to identify the location of people in distress situations when they dial the emergency number 122 on their phones.
Speaking at the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industries Awards over the weekend, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said the digital address system had enabled the government to introduce such services.
According to him, the new service would save people the trouble of giving directions to emergency service providers, while improving the response time of the providers.
Dr Bawumia added that the emergency number 122 would connect anyone who needed the services of the police, ambulance or fire service directly.
The Vice President said more ambulances were being imported to ensure that every constituency got an ambulance as part of efforts to improve access to healthcare in the country.
The ambulances would be fitted with tablets and integrated with all digital addresses to enable them locate people in emergency situations and respond rapidly, he said.
“Sometimes people struggle to describe their location when in emergency situations. Now with just one call, your digital address will come and emergency service providers will know where you are. It is going to be transformational,” he said.
Vice President Bawumia noted that the digitisation of the economy, which had resulted in the issuance of digital I.D. cards, address systems, and mobile interoperability, would help improve the quality of life in the country.
He said although many people still did not appreciate the importance of the new interventions, its benefit would be enormous when the entire process was completed.
On the digital ID, the Vice President indicated that the process of issuing cards to Ghanaians above 15 years would be completed next year.
The process, he said, would be followed with the issuance of ID cards for Ghanaians below 15 years to ensure that every Ghanaian had a unique identity.
Vice President Bawumia said the Birth and Death Registry would issue unique identity number to every child born in Ghana
The ultimate Personality Award went to Emmanuel Berketey Bortey of Gharger Limited, who was also the Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
The Chamber Business Woman of the Year went to Janet Anane, while Samuel Tobin of Tobinco Pharmaceuticals won the Chamber Businessman of the Year.
BY YAW KYEI
