About 600 Edo residents were on Sunday trained by the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in Basic Life Support for first responders.
The training Programme with the theme ‘Advancing the legacy of quality healthcare’ is part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the Hospital, coming up on 12 May 2023.
Participants at the training held at the Oba Ovoranmwen Park, Mission Road, Benin-Lagos Road, Edo State, included security operatives, paramilitary operatives, journalists, and market women, among others.
It provided participants with the knowledge and skill required for Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and other relevant procedures needed in emergencies.
The Chief Medical Director of UBTH, Darlington Obaseki, said the essence of the programme was to train those who were not doctors or medical personnel on how to resuscitate people in medical emergencies.
He said, “As a hospital, we decided that we want to use this opportunity of our 50th anniversary to teach the society, especially the first responders, namely, road safety, the police operatives, and journalists. They are usually the first at the scene of an emergency.
“If as a journalist covering an event, you see somebody collapsing, you should not wait for a doctor but be able to help the patient before a medical personnel arrives. That is why we organised this training for everyone. You don’t have to go to medical school to do these things.”
He stated that the management of the UBTH has arranged a series of events as a way f giving back to members of the public, as well as a build-up to its anniversary next year.
The Deputy Coordinator of the Paramedic Training School of UBTH, Dr. Abebe John, said that the training was to create awareness for life-saving skills that would enable members of the public to help in emergencies when they occur.
He noted that many persons were unaware of these life-saving skills hence the need for the training.
