Sudden death: Experts call on govts to incorporate first responder in school curriculum

NIGERIAN government at all levels have been called upon to incorporate first responder course in primary, secondary and tertiary academic curricular to stem the growing trend of sudden deaths orchestrated by cardiac arrest and heart attack.

Health Instructor from the American Heart Association, Clement Ovili, accompanied by his assistant, Robert Ikechukwu, made the call as resource persons at a recent workshop in Warri, Delta State.

The event featured health discussions and training on Heart Saver First Aid, Trauma Management, Medical Emergency Management, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the usage of Automated External Defibrillator (AED) during emergencies.

Over 100 trainees, drawn across children, youths and adults were trained at the event held at the instance of the Redeemer Men’s Fellowship (RMF) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Shekinah Mega Parish, Warri.

Ovili, speaking after the intensive training which lasted over three hours under the leadership of the Provincial Pastor and the RMF president, Pastor Ezekiel Olukahunsi and Mr Oze Chukwudi, said training in first responder course was long overdue in the country’s academic curricular.

“It is a long awaited idea. The Federal Government needs to come out with a policy to ensure that children, both in primary, secondary and even tertiary institutions, are trained in first responders’ course.

“Not only that, other professionals are supposed to have the basic trainings. It is an area that shouldn’t be neglected, reason being that more than 70 percent of cases we have in the hospitals is as a result of failure of first responders’ duties.

“When I mean first responders, I mean knowledgeable first responders who can assist in the case of any life-threatening ailment. “If we have them trained, you find that a lot of cases going into the hospitals, whether in rural areas or in the cities and towns will be reduced” he said.

While appealing to policy makers to hasten policies in this regard, Ovili, however, said the policies to make the trainings compulsory shouldn’t be left for the government alone, saying private companies and organisations should add their inputs.

One of the trainees, Mr Paul Tusemone, who expressed delight at the training, commended Chukwudi and his executive for the health training, saying: It is a nice one. Personally, I gained a lot.”