Fundraising bid to get decommissioned Yorkshire emergency ambulance to Zambia

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) specialist paramedic is appealing for help to send a third decommissioned emergency ambulance to a community in Zambia.

Wakefield-based Adrian Harris and his wife Angela, who took early retirement from her role as Lead Nurse for Urgent Care with YAS after she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa which has left her partially-sighted, are working with schools and healthcare facilities in Zambia to identify their requirements for support.

They want to raise £9,000 so another decommissioned emergency vehicle can be acquired and delivered to the rural outskirts of Livingstone and used as both an ambulance and a mobile clinic.

Adrian said: “The big issue facing the area is a lack of access to healthcare in the remote communities so any increases in ambulances will undoubtedly benefit these less fortunate communities in terms of healthcare and education.

“Our main aims are to reduce maternal mortality due to the ability to transfer mothers to hospital for delivery and reduce deaths on the children’s medical ward at Livingstone Hospital from diabetes keto acidosis due to having the ability to test.”

Over last two years, Adrian and Angela, who live near Huddersfield, have visited Nsongwe Rural Health Post in Zambia, Mukuni Clinic, Zimba Mother and Baby Hospital, Livingstone Hospital and Kazungula Hospital to identify how healthcare needs could be met and provide support and mentorship to health professionals working in the area.

Last year Yorkshire Ambulance Service donated two decommissioned emergency ambulances and retired laptops which were delivered by Adrian and Angela to a rural health centre and college in Zambia. They also trained local people, including teachers, health workers and local leaders, in first aid and leadership skills and provided reading books, arts, crafts and sporting equipment.

Donations can be made and further details about this initiative are available at https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/angela-harris-715?utm_term=PeBbkEZr8&utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL