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Health expert champions pre-hospital emergency care training for drivers

Provost of the College of Health Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Christian Agyare is advocating for training in pre-hospital emergency care, especially for commercial drivers.

Speaking at the opening ceremony for cohort II of the pre-hospital emergency care short course by the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative, KNUST, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, he observed the nature of their job demands key life-saving skills.

“Pre-hospital emergency care in our part of the world needs attention right from the household level! I know you have all seen accident scenes and how people are often pulled out of vehicles.

"Sometimes, people die because of the way they are handled before reaching the hospital," he said.

He therefore appealed: “I particularly suggest that a tailor-made version of this course is conducted in the form of a workshop for drivers. I believe they are a group that plays a role in pre-hospital emergency care in this country."

Following a successful inaugural workshop for selected health personnel nationwide in pre-hospital emergency care by Mastercard Foundation Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative, KNUST, last year, another twenty participants have been selected for the second edition of the workshop.

The pre-hospital emergency care short course which is in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Toronto, Canada, seeks to equip health personnel with the requisite skills to respond swiftly during critical moments.

The course is spearheaded by the Health Employment pillar of the collaborative led by Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah.

The team lead from the University of Toronto, Dr. Ian Drennan relished the shared experiences with the first cohort, and was hopeful of a fruitful interaction this year, too.

 “I know it will be just as good if not better than last year. It’ll be a good experience for everybody,” he said.