A cardiologist at the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Oladipupo Fasan, has called for wider Basic Life Support training among young Nigerians to help improve responses to sudden cardiac emergencies.
Fasan made the call during a training programme on emergency resuscitation and Basic Life Support organised by The City Club Abuja for students of Government Science Technical College, Garki, Abuja.
He said teaching students basic emergency skills could help them assist unconscious or collapsed persons before medical professionals arrived or victims reached a hospital.
The cardiologist said the initiative was prompted by increasing cases of cardiovascular disease and sudden deaths. He noted that many cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals and said Nigeria was yet to achieve widespread availability of Automated External Defibrillators in public spaces.
Fasan also cited recent studies indicating that nearly 40 per cent of Nigerians were hypertensive, a condition associated with several cardiovascular complications.
Chairman of the club’s Board of Trustees, Deji Adetuberu, said the programme was designed to address the limited emergency-response skills available among members of the public. He said the knowledge acquired by students could also be passed on to their families and communities.
The organisation said it was considering extending the training to other groups, including journalists, and making the programme a regular part of its community initiatives.
A school official, Satsohot Anthony, said the training could improve the school’s response to emergencies, particularly in hostels where incidents such as falls, respiratory problems and other emergencies could occur.
Students who participated in the programme also said the training had increased their confidence in responding to medical emergencies. One student, Chimamanda Igwe, said the knowledge would be particularly useful to her because she hopes to become a cardiologist, while another student, Elijah Awelewa, advocated for BLS training in schools nationwide.
