Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavhima has urged corporates and individuals to be equipped with basic first aid skills in order to respond to emergencies.
Speaking during a Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) breakfast meeting aimed at exploring how to reduce workplace injuries/ deaths through proactive First aid trainings in Harare, Prof Mavhima said first aid remains an important factor in everyday life.
“We have read about students drowning in swimming pools at schools, some families losing their beloved children to emergencies at homes, people injured at workplaces and the many road accidents that continue to claim lives every other day. All such unfortunate incidents call for us to be equipped with basic first aid skills so that we know how to respond to emergencies as they arise.
“There is need for all Zimbabweans to have basic knowledge of First Aid given that emergencies are a daily phenomenon. First aid remains an integral component in our everyday lives, whether at home, school, workplace or travelling. While First Aid is important for everyone, it is even more important for the workplace as our valuable assets, the human resources are exposed to many dangers in their routine operations,” said Prof. Mavhima
He said the provision of First Aid facilities is a legal requirement and urged all organisations, formal or informal, to ensure that workplaces are safe.
In a speech read on his behalf by head of training Peter Chisanduro, ZRCS secretary general Elias Hwenga said lives are lost due to lack of basic first aid training.
“The Mining and Industrial sectors have a high risk in their areas of operations hence First Aid is a key and vital component of their work. Every worker is recommended to be trained in these lifesaving skills. At times some employers think investing in first aid training is a waste of resources hence when disaster occurs they tend to lose lives and in most cases their skilled and experienced workers due to lack of basic lifesaving skills and knowledge.
“The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society is a first aid training service provider of choice, providing appropriate, evidence-based first aid and health care training services to all sectors in Zimbabwe. Because we strongly believe that everyone has a potential to save life, we aim to train as many people as possible in first aid in Zimbabwe as provision of First Aid and nurse aide training services is one of our key mandate aimed at saving lives,” said Hwenga
