As part of the World Emergency Medical Service Day (WEMSA), the National Ambulance Service (NAS) on Monday organised Basic Life Support training session for Accra Bishop Boy’s (mixed) primary school.
The training session which took place in Accra, seeks to train the students, the basic skills needed during emergencies and also create awareness on Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in the country.
The World Emergency Medical Service Day is an annual global event held to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in the world.
This year’s event is slated for 21-27 May, themed, ‘EMS: Where Emergency Care Begins.’
In an interview with the Media after the training session, the Deputy Director, Public Relations of National Ambulance Service, Mr Simmons YussifKewura, said the main purpose of the training was to create awareness of EMS and the work they do in the country.
He added that the training was to provide individuals and the students with the basic skills of EMS so they can perform if the need arises.
“So the purpose is to ensure that, we train people to have the basic idea of basic life support skills so that when there is a case of an emergency they can provide assistance before calling or waiting for the ambulance,” he stated.
MrKewura noted that, they chose to train the school children because they believed these children learn and spread knowledge faster.
“We believe that children are faster learners. When you train them, they would like to tell their parents the new things they learnt in school which they would end up teaching their parents too,” he said.
This training session being held for the first time, MrKewura said he praythey would be able to extend it to the other regions to reach greater number of people.
He added that rolling it out to other regions would not only focus on schools but they would want to reach, market place, streets, chiefs palace and churches.
He appealed to the general public to desist from handling casualties and accidents victims without seeking help from paramedics or EMS.
“Ghanaians like to help people in emergency situations but the issue is handling of accident victims or any other patients’ without paramedics or EMS help can lead to the victim’s death.
“So we would appeal to the public, if there is anything at all they should call the 112, which is our emergency number and we will respond promptly. Avoid handling victims without any medical assistance,” he said.
The Principal Advanced Emergency Medical Technician, Mr Nathaniel EssounAmoah, who took the students through the training, said it was good for the students and their teachers to have knowledge about EMS to assist themselves in times of need.
The students were trained on safety measures before approaching a victim in any circumstances, how to check for Pulse, how to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), how to give people oxygen, how to use the automated external defibrillator and the tools and equipment in an ambulance.
BY CECILIA LAGBA
