Uyo – The Akwa Ibom Government has commenced training of emergency response workers for its envisaged ambulance services in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Dominic Ukpong, said this in Uyo on Wednesday.
He said those successfully trained and given certificates would run the state’s emergency medical programme.
Ukpong, who presented certificates of attendance to 20 successful trainees, said only those who scored 84 per cent in the examination were certified.
He added that “in emergency training, there is need to maintain standard. Emergency workers are needed everywhere in the world but only the best can help the injured.’’
The commissioner said the certificates given to the trainees were renewable after two years and advised those who could not score the cut off mark to read and prepare well for the next examination.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the planned ambulance service would cost the state government N500 million to takeoff.
The service would likely takeoff in 20 of the 31 local government areas of the state as pilot project.
Ukpong had earlier told NAN that the entire state would be covered with at least three ambulances in the course of time.
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He explained that the service would have a functional three digit telephone line, trained drivers and trained paramedics to resuscitate unconscious patients before reaching the doctors.
The service would help to reach all parts of the state for now pending when the state would provide primary healthcare in communities, the commissioner said. (NAN)
