Improving Access to Emergency Healthcare in Sub Saharan Africa

Lack of affordable transport is a major constraint on access to emergency healthcare in rural areas of Sub Saharan Africa and one of the main barriers to achieving Milennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in these countries. Conventional ambulances are expensive to acquire and operate and this paper argues that there is a strong case for introducing lower-cost versions. The paper describes the successful trials of a motorcycleambulance trailer (MAT) in Zambia and discusses the implications of the findings in regard to setting up an emergency transport service based on low-cost ambulances.