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) in the province, surpassing its target of 2,500 by 2023.

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

This was part of the college’s training program for emergency responders.

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

The program was established after research by the department found that in more than 90% of medical, traumatic and suicide incidents and accidents, communities are ill-equipped to respond to the emergency they face.

The training covers topics such as bleeding control, burn treatment, treatment of broken and dislocated bones, treatment of epileptic seizures, choking, resuscitation, hyperthermia and first aid knowledge and equipment.

According to the MEC, 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 functions.

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

The MEC believes there is a shortage of emergency care assistants in the sector and says these institutions can help fill this shortage.

“Our aim 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 past few months and more are expected,” said MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.

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

These courses are designed to teach healthcare professionals essential skills so they can save lives at critical moments.

This milestone places the college among 4,000 training centres worldwide and makes it the third government-run centre in the country to offer AHA courses.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, killing an estimated 17.9 million people each year.

This is a group of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and other conditions.

The LCOEC is currently training approximately 1,200 ambulance trainees recruited through the #NasiIspani campaign.

Most of these interns have struggled to find work for years due to a lack of education.

The aspiring paramedics receive a monthly stipend for 12 months and are also given essential training and work experience to prepare them for the emergency department.

The GCoN is located in Ga-Rankuwa and is a government accredited college offering training in nursing qualifications including Diploma in Nursing, Advanced Diploma in Midwifery and Postgraduate Diploma programmes including Adult Intensive Care, Paediatric Nursing, Midwifery and Primary Care.

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