Local college trains over 3 000 township residents in first aid

Lebone College of Emergency Care (LCOEC) has trained 3 200 residents of townships, informal settlements and hostels (TISH) across the province, surpassing the target for 2023 of 2 500.

This was revealed by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) during an oversight by Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to the Arcadia-based training centre on July 10.

This was part of the college’s first responder training programme.

The programme was launched by the college and the department in March 2023 in Sebokeng, Sedibeng.

The programme came about after departmental research showed that in over 90% of medical, trauma and suicide incidents and accidents, communities are not properly equipped to respond to the emergency confronting them.

Training covers topics such as haemorrhage control, burn treatment, treatment of fractured and dislocated bones, seizure treatment, choking, CPR, hyperthermia and first aid awareness and tools.

The MEC says the department is committed to ensuring that LCOEC and the Gauteng College of Nursing (GCoN), two of the department’s educational institutions, are adequately supported to fulfil their duties.

“We are committed to ensuring that our institutions provide world-class training opportunities. We need to gain best practices from our counterparts across the globe to ensure that we produce a skilled workforce for our health facilities.”

The MEC believes the sector is lacking in emergency care assistants and says these institutions will help bridge that gap.

“Our goal is to ensure that both Lebone and GCoN become world-class institutions offering globally accredited qualifications. We have received a number of accreditations in the previous months, and more are still expected to come,” said MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.

On February 29, LCOEC received international accreditation from the American Heart Association (AHA) for its efforts in teaching first aid.

These courses are designed to provide healthcare professionals with essential skills and equip them to save lives during critical moments.

This milestone elevates the college to the ranks of 4 000 training centres worldwide and makes it the third government-operated centre in the country to offer AHA courses.

According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death around the world, claiming an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.

These are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease and other conditions.

The LCOEC is currently training around 1 200 basic ambulance assistant interns recruited through the #NasiIspani campaign.

The majority of these interns have for many years struggled to get employment due to lack of training.

The aspiring paramedics receive a monthly stipend for 12 months while also receiving essential training and work experience to be ready to enter the field of emergency care.

Based in Ga-Rankuwa, the GCoN is a government-operated accredited college that provides training in nursing qualifications including a diploma in nursing, advanced diploma in midwifery and postgraduate diploma programmes which include adult critical care nursing, child nursing, midwifery and primary care nursing.

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