The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has commenced a four-day Basic Life Support, BLS, training for health workers from seven hospitals across the FCT, as part of efforts to strengthen emergency care and reduce preventable deaths.
The training, approved by the National Council on Health and certified by the American Heart Association, AHA, is designed to equip healthcare workers with the skills required to respond quickly and effectively to medical emergencies.
The Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, HSES, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by her media aide, Mrs. Bola Ajao.
Fasawe said the programme was aimed at improving the capacity of health workers to provide immediate and appropriate basic life-saving care to patients in emergency situations.
Health workers from Asokoro, Maitama, Wuse, Gwarinpa, Kuje, Kubwa and Nyanya hospitals are participating in the training.
Declaring the programme opens, Fasawe said the initiative would contribute significantly to improving emergency services across FCT hospitals and help reduce deaths that could otherwise be prevented through timely intervention.
She explained that participants would also be expected to share the knowledge and skills acquired with their colleagues and members of the public, in line with the National Community Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, CPR, Initiative.
According to her, the FCTA is committed to ensuring that its healthcare workers remain abreast of international best practices in emergency medicine and basic life support.
Fasawe also disclosed that the administration was working towards establishing Code Blue Teams across hospitals in the FCT.
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She explained that the teams would help ensure that patients requiring urgent medical attention receive prompt intervention from trained personnel.
The mandate secretary said the BLS training would subsequently be extended to other hospitals across the FCT, while the administration would provide the necessary equipment and other requirements needed to strengthen emergency response and patient care. “Our goal is to consistently record success stories from ‘no pulse to resuscitation,’” Fasawe said.
She noted that improving emergency response would not only save lives but also strengthen public confidence in government hospitals.
“When people know that they can receive timely and proper emergency care in our hospitals, it will also build their confidence and trust in government hospitals to respond swiftly and manage their loved ones,” she added.
Fasawe disclosed that participants would undergo an assessment at the end of the training to determine their understanding of the lessons and practical skills taught during the programme. She added that certificates would be awarded to participants who successfully meet the required standards.
The Medical Director of Asokoro District Hospital, Dr Oluseyi Ashaolu, described the training as timely and necessary, particularly as healthcare workers need to remain updated on developments in emergency care.
Ashaolu said the knowledge and practical skills acquired during the exercise would help reduce avoidable deaths, especially in situations where immediate medical intervention could determine whether a patient survives.
The training coordinator, Dr Rosemary Nwokorie, a Consultant Anaesthetist, explained that the exercise was being conducted in batches to accommodate participating health workers.
She said the first batch was scheduled for Aug. 21 and 22, while the second batch would take place on Sept. 4 and 5.
Nwokorie added that the programme also included a ‘Stop the Bleeding’ course designed to teach health workers how to control severe bleeding in trauma patients before definitive medical treatment is provided.
The team of instructors is led by Dr Onyedika Okoye, a Trauma Surgeon at the Trauma Centre, National Hospital, Abuja.
It was reported that the training forms part of the FCTA’s broader efforts to strengthen emergency healthcare services and ensure that health workers across the territory are adequately prepared to respond to critical situations requiring immediate attention.
NAN
