The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has initiated the process of putting up 100 Emergency Response and First Aid Posts at strategic locations along the major highways of the country.
The NRSC has already completed eight of such post and it has been fully equipped with medical items, VHF portable two-way radio device, safety boots and bicycles.
This Emergency Response & First Aid Posts forms part of measures to minimise deaths while sustaining life of victims of road traffic crashes through emergency response measures.
The Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, on Friday, April 5, 2019, inaugurated the facilities at Gomoa Ankamu near Apam Junction in the Central Region.
According to him, the establishment of the Emergency Response and First Aid Posts was triggered by the lack of capacities of the Ghana Red Cross Society and the National Ambulance Service to deal with emergency response issues within the context of providing medical care for road traffic crash victims.
“The Road Safety Commission, therefore, undertook to strengthen the national capacities for post-crash care to victims of road traffic crashes through advocacy and resource mobilization with the view to equip the National Ambulance Services with dedicated ambulances for victims of road traffic crashes including training of Emergency Medical Technicians (ETMs) and install fully equipped First Aid Posts at strategic locations along the national road network in addition to training of respondents,†he explained.
He said the facilities will be managed on a 24-hour basis by the Ghana Red Cross Society with support from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), St. Johns Ambulance, Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Police Service.
The first eight Emergency Response and First Aid Posts are located at Asuboi, Bunso Junction, Asankare and Juaso on the Accra-Kumasi Highway; Toje, near Kasseh, and Nogokpo on the Accra-Aflao highway; and Okyereko and Gomoa Ankamu, near Apam Junction, on the Accra-Takoradi highway.
The Executive Director of the NRSC, May Obiri Yeboah, on her part said the manhandling of crash victims has contributed to a large extent, the number of people who die through road traffic crashes, hence, the establishment of the facilities as part of their contributions to emergency services.
She noted the eight facilities are being piloted for them to see how the system will work before they are scaled up to cover the entire nation.
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