By Solomon T. Gaye, Sr.
As Christmas season draws closer in the country, a Ministry of Health ambulance assigned at the government hospital in Grand Gedeh turns commercial in Ganta and is creating serious concern among commuters in the county.
The driver (not named) of the ambulance coded Ministry of Health with inscription that reads, ‘Improving maternal and New born in Liberia’ with plate # 1162 was arrested by the Police when the vehicle was being loaded with passengers and goods at the NPP Filling Station in Ganta on November 17.
The LNP arresting officer said ambulances are there to carry patients only, but that the vehicle operator was caught doing the opposite by using the vehicle to carry ordinary passengers under the pretense of wanting to buy fuel for the vehicle.
The Ministry of health ambulance is the second government vehicle to be recorded by transport workers for commercial purposes in the county.
Early December 2019, an assigned Police van came under attack by the Transport Union workers around the Dumba Field for conveying ordinary passengers that were already registered on a commercial vehicle for Grand Gedeh County.
The driver of the Ambulance was seen begging the officer to forgive him for carrying passengers especially business people on the vehicle and promised that such will not happen again.
Since the beginning of the dry season, many of the government assigned vehicles in the Southeastern Region of Liberia continue to pour in with passengers for commercial purposes.
However, the Police assigned at the Charge-of-Quarters told this paper that because the driver of the ambulance begged for mercy, he was later released.