HUNDREDS of Chipinge residents in Manicaland province yesterday got free basic first aid training under the Presidential Emergency Medical Scheme. The training, which was facilitated by Discovery Ambulance Services, was aimed at equipping as many people as possible with first aid skills so that they can be first responders in the event of a medical emergency.
To date, thousands of people from other parts of the country have benefitted from the scheme. In Bulawayo, students and staff at Jairos Jiri Association were trained to take care of themselves in case of an emergency.
Discovery Ambulance Services founder and chief executive officer David Munowenyu said it was necessary that first responders know what to do as they wait for the arrival of the ambulances to take the patients to a nearby health facility.
“You will recall that there was a shortage of ambulances in the country. As Discovery Ambulance Services we invested in emergency services and we now have ambulances almost everywhere in the country. But for an ambulance to be effective, there is need for first responders to an emergency to know what they need to do with a patient after calling for an ambulance,” he said .
“So what we are doing is we are empowering communities to be able to deal with emergencies. By so doing, we are saving lives because we have realized that in some instances patients unnecessarily lose their lives because the first responders would have failed to apply basic health solutions to save a life. We are taking the medical emergency programme to every corner of the country because just as President Emmerson Mnangagwa says, we are not leaving anyone or any place behind," Munowenyu said.
Last week, Discovery Ambulance Services conducted a medical outreach programme in Gokwe-Nembudziya, Midlands province, which drew thousands of people. Beneficiaries of the scheme in Chipinge included house helps and child minders who said the course had enlightened them on how to rescue the situation in the event of an emergency.
The training was conducted at Gaza Primary School.
One of the trainees Tatenda Maiida said, "This programme is an eye-opener. I now know how to handle an emergency in the home environment.”
- Chipinge residents receive free first aid training
