The Mastercard Foundation Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative, in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi and the University of Toronto, Canada, organised the second edition of its training short course on Pre-Hospital Emergency Care. The Cohort II selected twenty (20) healthcare personnel from across the country.
The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Short Course aims to equip health care personnel with the essential 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.
Speaking at the opening ceremony for Cohort II of the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Short Course, Professor Christian Agyare, the Provost of the College of Health Sciences at KNUST, emphasised the need for training in pre-hospital emergency care, particularly for commercial drivers, given the life-saving knowledge and skills required in their line of work. "Pre-hospital emergency care in our part of the world needs attention right from the household level. We have all seen accident scenes where people are often pulled out of vehicles inappropriately, sometimes leading to fatalities due to improper handling before reaching the hospital," he noted.
Professor Agyare further suggested, "I particularly advocate for a tailored version of this course to be conducted as a workshop for drivers. They are a critical group in pre-hospital emergency care in this country."
Dr. Ian Drennan, the team lead from the University of Toronto, expressed his enthusiasm for the shared experiences with the first cohort and is optimistic about a fruitful interaction with this year's participants. "I know it will be as good, if not better, than last year. It will be a valuable experience for everyone," he remarked.
The KNUST team lead, Dr Daniel Osei-Kwame urged the participants to utilise the knowledge gained to bridge the gaps identified.