Drivers receive CPR, first aid training

A member of the Jadarls Group of Companies, Jadarls Foundation, has organised a free cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid training for some commercial transport drivers in the La-Nkwantanang Municipality in Accra.

The training was to educate the drivers to recognise and respond appropriately to incidents of cardiac, breathing and first aid emergencies, and how to go about it until advanced medical care was administered.

The sessions, which were conducted at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), brought together different driver unions within the municipality, who were taken through basic life support training, including high quality cpr, post cardiac arrest, prevention and recovery.

The drivers were also given first aid kits, pendrives, among other educational souvenirs to aid them to control accident cases that occur while working, and to also create awareness among other drivers and passengers. 

Training

The Programme Lead of Jadarls Foundation, Davida Pappoe, said it had been observed that most accident victims died or incurred more injury due to the improper handling of victims or how care was administered.

The foundation, she said, had seen the need to train individuals, especially the drivers who mostly experienced accidents, to properly administer primary care to victims when such situations occurred.

“Most drivers do not know how to care for the injured; all they know is pulling the injured person out of the car, and this causes more injury or death.

So these sessions are to educate them on how to go about things like this,” she said.

She said the foundation intended to train 65 drivers in the first quarter with over 2,000 drivers to be trained by the end of the year given th intended multiplier effect of the trainer of trainees programme.

Ms Pappoe further stated that monitoring would be done by representatives from UGMC to ensure that the right training was given to the drivers, and where there were shortfalls refresher sessions would be held.

Primary Care

The Deputy Director for Medical Training and Simulation Center at UGMC, Dr Akosua Nuamah, explained that CPR and first aid were important because they could save lives under certain conditions.

“I believe this is the first hand training we all need as it creates awareness on the right steps to take in case of accident to keep the victims alive and prevent a lot of deaths,” she said.

Dr Nuamah further called on the public to desist from taking pictures or videos when accidents happen, but to instead call for medical help.

Initiative

The Chairman of the AMOT Transport Union, Mohammed Riddah Abubakar, commended the foundation for the initiative to build the capacity of the drivers in the municipality in CPR and first aid.