Emergency nurses at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), Tema, have called on the Ministry of Education to include Basic Life Support (BLS) skills training into school curricula to empower students with some techniques, which they can employ in times of emergency.
Ms Juliet Owusu Dwamena and Mr Samuel Adu Ntiamoah, both IMaH Emergency nurses, who made the call, noted that in recent times, heart related diseases had continued to be a major health concern, and must collectively be tackled to save lives.
Ms Dwamena explained that research continued to improve how the public responded to emergencies based on the life support skills acquired.
Speaking on the weekly Ghana News Agency’s health platform of the Tema Regional Office to enhance health literacy, she said simple BLS knowledge increased a person’s chances of survival until advanced care was given.
Ms Dwamena emphasised that performing the appropriate steps swiftly and confidently could restore life to someone experiencing cardiac arrest.
“The heart pumps blood via the lungs, where it takes in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. This blood then returns to the heart and is pumped out to vital organs such as the heart and brain, as well as the rest of the body,” She said.
“When the heart stops beating, blood flow stops, and the person falls unconscious. Without blood flow, the heart and brain rapidly deteriorate due to a lack of oxygen.”
“These acts that comprise BLS attempt to prevent or reduce the damage until the underlying cause of the problem is remedied.”
Mr Ntiamoah noted that someone with BLS skills could provide high-quality chest compressions to distribute oxygen to the brain and vital organs to a victim of cardiac arrest and save life.
