November 7, 2016 By Joseph S. Margai
College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), University of Sierra Leone (USL), with support from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) and the World Bank has commenced training 652 paramedics in emergency response, targeting fire and road accidents, pregnant women in labour, sick children, among others.
At the launch of the training last Friday at COMAHS campus in Kossoh Town, just outside Freetown, Provost of COMAHS, Dr. Mohamed Samai, who was the Lead Consultant for the training, said the government was of the view that one way of reducing infant and maternal mortality and accidents was to provide a national ambulance service.
He said the ambulance service would be used for treatment and transportation of patients to hospitals, adding that paramedics for the proposed ambulance service are trained and qualified nurses who would go thorough intensive training for five weeks on how to respond to emergencies.
“The training will take place in the four regions of Sierra Leone and after which, the trained paramedics would be certified, and that will authenticate them to work in the ambulance service. This is the first time that the government has mobilised resources to start the operation of a national ambulance service,” he said.
Dr. Samai said the paramedic service would also cater for people with trauma, adding that staff at COMAHS have benefitted from a training of trainers course conducted by a consultant from Australia.
“This training is being funded by the World Bank through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. The trainees would be taught in seven modules with an assessment at the end,” he said.
One of the trainers, Dr. Eva Hanciles, implored the trainees to be physically strong and ready to provide emergency services to people at all times, adding that they should also maintain safety and security standards by using gloves and other protective gear in order to save their lives and others.
“When you are called upon to attend to road or fire accidents, your presence would make a difference in the patient’s life. Hence, you should try as best as possible to prevent preventable deaths in such cases,” he said.
Registrar of USL, Sorie N. Dumbuya, said the selected nurse trainees should be prepared to complete the training and that they have a responsibility of saving lives.
He cautioned that the training was not only for individual benefits, but for the promotion of a sound healthcare system in the country.
Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation II, Mrs. Zuliatu Cooper, said saving lives should be the prime aim of the to-be-paramedics, adding that whenever they were in the ambulance with a patient, whatever they do would be to save the life of that patient.
“No amount of money will justify what medical people are doing, so money should not be considered in the delivery of health care services. It is so worrying to always hear that in Sierra Leone, the maternal and infant rate is high. We should try and improve in that area,” she said.