Motorcycle riders and taxi drivers in the Adutor area of the Volta Region have received emergency response training as part of a community health outreach programme led by Impact World 360⁰.
The initiative, which also included free medical screening, was held at the Adutor Health Centre and focused on strengthening pre-hospital care in communities where access to formal emergency services remains limited.
According to the organisation, the programme is based on the recognition that commercial transport operators often become the first point of contact in medical emergencies.
Ms Nana Adwoa Odeibea Noi, Coordinator of Impact World 360⁰, said the intervention seeks to formally equip these informal responders with lifesaving skills.
She explained that riders and drivers frequently transport accident victims and other patients before ambulances arrive, making their role critical in emergency survival outcomes.
“We have conceptualised this as Community Emergency Response Assistance,” she said, noting that participants were trained in basic but vital techniques.
The training covered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), bleeding control, safe lifting and transport of injured persons, and how to respond to fractures, stroke symptoms and pregnancy-related emergencies.
Ms Noi said the aim was to ensure that community members can provide effective assistance during the crucial minutes before professional medical care becomes available.
“You are the help until help arrives,” she said, stressing that early intervention can significantly improve survival chances.
She added that the Adutor programme is the organisation’s second intervention in Ghana, following a similar exercise in Accra, and is being used to assess differing health needs across communities.
Preliminary screening results showed varying disease patterns, with malaria, anaemia and arthritis more common in Adutor, while hypertension cases were more prominent in Accra.
Health officials at the event said the integration of screening with emergency training helps address gaps in Ghana’s primary healthcare and emergency response systems, especially in rural areas.
The District Health Director, Madam Mavis Agumeh, commended the initiative, describing it as a timely complement to the Ghana Health Service’s efforts.
She noted that empowering transport operators with first aid skills could improve response times and reduce complications from accidents and medical emergencies.
Participants, particularly riders and drivers, said the training had boosted their confidence in handling emergencies and would help them better support passengers and community members in distress.
Impact World 360⁰ indicated that the programme is being piloted with plans for expansion across Ghana and other countries where informal transport systems play a major role in emergency response.
