Zoomlion Foundation has kickstarted the ‘Keep Your Mind on the Road Campaign’ in collaboration with Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) and Road Safety Management Services Limited.
As part of Zoomlion Foundation’s initiatives to equip schoolchildren, teachers, and parents with skills in emergency response preparedness and road safety, the Foundation is collaborating with Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Emergency Unit, National Ambulance Service, and Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSML), with support from the Ghana Police Service MMTD and Ghana Education Service. The aim is to organize a series of trainings and sensitizations targeting approximately 10,000 beneficiaries in the Adentan Municipality of Accra.
The first training session, held on Friday, 14th June 2024, at the assembly grounds of Nii Sowa Din Memorial Cluster of Schools in Nmai Dzorn near Zoomlion Head Office, attracted over 3,000 attendees.
Participants included schoolchildren, teachers, and parents from all five schools in the cluster (Sowa Din Kindergarten, Sowa Din Primary 1, Sowa Din Primary 2, Sowa Din JHS 1, and Sowa Din JHS 2 Schools), as well as representatives of key stakeholders in the Nmai Dzorn community such as zonal city guards, zonal environmental officers, clinics, PTA chairman, trotro drivers, okada riders, clergy, assembly members, and local sellers.
Dr. Henry Bulley, Clinical Coordinator for the Emergency Service Department at Korle Bu Hospital, led an eight-member medical team from the hospital to conduct the training. He emphasized to the trainees the crucial role of emergency response in saving lives during accidents and disasters, stressing the importance of education and training in emergency response procedures to ensure timely and effective life-saving measures.
Dr. Bulley highlighted critical issues affecting emergency response in Ghana, including delayed assistance, incorrect actions taken, lack of basic first aid skills, inadequate communication, and unfamiliarity with emergency response resources.
Dr. Serwaa Quao, from the medical team, demonstrated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid procedures, convulsion handling, burns treatment, and other essential skills needed for emergency response at school and home, using dummy human body parts, charts, and role plays. Both students and teachers actively participated in practicing these skills.
Dr. Felicia Freeman, Deputy Director of the National Ambulance Service, and her team of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) facilitated training on emergency communication and response. They showcased their services using a national ambulance vehicle, allowing teachers and schoolchildren to observe how care is administered inside the vehicle. The EMT team also conducted role plays to teach trainees how to request emergency assistance using the National Ambulance short code 193.
Mr. Theodore Aplerku, Business Development Manager of Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSML), stressed the importance of continuous sensitization of schoolchildren by teachers on basic road regulations and their proper usage, especially due to the newly constructed dual road in front of the school. He emphasized that educating children on its proper usage is critical to preventing loss of lives.
Mrs. Patience Basintale, Adentan Municipal School Health Education Program Coordinator, highlighted a key takeaway from the training: the importance of using running water to clean burns and cuts instead of applying chemicals or liquids before reporting to the hospital. She emphasized that this training has equipped teachers and schoolchildren with basic emergency response skills necessary for saving lives.
Mr. Thomas Narh Korley, Zoomlion Foundation Coordinator, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of over 3,000 participants at the first training session. He emphasized that the life-saving skills training will extend to all schools in Nmai Dzorn to protect the lives of students and parents.
“This life-saving skills training will reach all schools in Nmai Dzorn so that lives of students and parents will be protected”, he stated.
He mentioned that key stakeholders have been advocating for this training following the opening of the dual carriageway linking School Junction to Boteiman, which has seen accidents involving parents and schoolchildren being knocked down by vehicles.
He added that Zoomlion Foundation is collaborating with other key stakeholders such as Municipal Assembly representative David Animah and Ghana Highway Authority to implement solutions to curb overspeeding.