Under the auspices of World Health Organisation (WHO) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) UK, the National Ambulance Service has trained 320 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) across the country on oxygen therapy for critically ill Covid-19 patients.

The WHO and DHSC-sponsored program was held in Kumasi that catered for the northern zone.

The EMTs were equipped with the requisite skills on how to handle medical emergencies that poses threat to life.

In his remarks, Mr. Patrick Avevor, Technical Officer in charge of Public Health Security, at WHO Ghana said, officials at WHO are excited to partner National Ambulance Service to implement this capacity building training, adding that National Ambulance Service played a major role during the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in Ghana.

He said supporting NAS to equip its staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle COVID-19 patients was in the right direction.

Opening the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer for National Ambulance Service, Prof Ahmed Nuhu Zakariah, commended the WHO and the Department of Health and Social Care for their support to the Service to train its staff.

“We extend our appreciation and profound gratitude to WHO and the Department of Health and Social Care UK for this kind of sponsorship, and this will help to raise the EMS systems in Ghana up to the level of international standards”.

He deplored the EMTs not to underestimate the training, because this are serious technicalities you need to know about Oxygen Therapy.

Emergency Oxygen Therapy is very essential to stabilize patients in the Pre- hospital assessment and treatment.

It helps to improve tissue perfusion and reduce hypoxaemia, with the overall goal of preventing tissue and organ damage.

The topics that were treated were Respiratory System Emergencies, Adequate and Inadequate Breathing, Management of Severe and Critically ill Covid-19 patients.

Others were Airway management, the use of Supraglottic Airway devices, Oxygen Therapy and among others