On Friday, January 3, 2025 Colonel Isaac Amponsah, Aide de Camp of ex-President Nana Akufo Addo, collapsed in Parliament during the last State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the last administration.
The incident was significant for several reasons and took centre stage of national discussions a few days after; but unfortunately the euphoria died down a few days after. Obviously, the transition from the old to new administration at the time, contributed to the matter losing the attention it gained initially.
A day prior, the Katamanto second hand clothing market was burnt to ashes following an inferno in the depth of the night of January 2, bringing business in the enclave to a halt.
Though these two incidents have no direct link, they share something in common:: the role of first responders in the management of emergency cases in public places as well as at home.
The incident in Parliament, per the view of some experts, was wrongly managed by the first responders, who brought the officer back to his feet after he went down. According to them, the victim should have been left in the position he fell in and carried in a stretcher or given first aid treatment before being taken away. As it was, he was raised to his feet and made to walk along with the responders till the intervention of other persons with expertise in medical situations. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), Running Mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 elections, who happened to be there in his capacity as then Member of Parliament (MP) was one of the people call me in to help with the emergency.
In the Katamanto market incident, allegations of theft and arson were made, as well as reports of the death of one person. Some victims even claimed the Fire Service personnel deliberately poured petrol into the fire to spread it further, this allegation couldn’t be substantiated.
The fire service department, obviously found it difficult to contain the fire though they eventually brought it under control after substantial damage had been caused.
In other jurisdictions, emergency cases as these, would have been handled in quite a different way from what has been the case in our dear country. It would have been a joint fire, medical and police operation.
On May 9, 2001, the nation witnessed one of the saddest disasters in sports, when over 120 fans lost their lives at the Accra Sports Stadium, following a riot by some fans during an epic match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko. It was observed that, some of the dead could have been saved if proper emergency response systems had been in place rescuers had some knowledge on handling emergencies. The handling of victims, was considered as not being the best.
There are other instances of lives being lost due to the inappropriate handling of persons in need of emergency care. Properties, on the other hand, had been lost as a result of fire service personnel’s helplessness in the face of some fire outbreaks. A case in Dansoman, saw personnel of the service being virtually attacked by residents over failure to control the fire ravaging a house.
It is sad that, in various homes, the first port of call during medical emergency, is the neighbour with a vehicle or the closest taxi driver. The reason is obvious. What puts affected persons at higher risk is the fact that, in most of such cases, those around have absolutely no idea about how to handle a patient or victim in an urgent need of care. This probably would have caused more preventable complications and deaths, in more serious cases.
During the vetting of the Interior Minister-designate, Hon Muntaka, now Interior Minister, he disclosed that, Ghana had not acquired a fire tender in the past ten years. This should leave the nation worried as emergency situations could be anybody’s lot.
Evidently, first response in our country is inadequate though there are signs of efforts to make things better. A Member of Parliament recently drew attention to that missing link in Parliament House, where the first incident took place-perhaos the location and timing were divinely arranged to draw the nation’s attention to this phenomenon.
The nation cannot afford to sweep this matter under the carpet till another incident wakes it up to its responsibilities; that should not be allowed to happen and it would take a concerted effort to advert other preventable complications or deaths during disasters or emergencies.
The following measures, if considered and brought to the front burner, could help a lot in line with the saying that, ‘a stitch in time, saves nine ‘
EQUIPPING EMERGENCY RESPONDERS
There is no gainsaying the fact that, as a nation, we haven’t really prioritized life and property, when it comes to equipping first responders. Our firefighters have been found wanting on many occasions when called upon to deal with fires, be it domestic, industrial or vehicular.
On the other hand, taxis and private vehicles have served as first resort in times of health emergencies. The culture of calling and relying on ambulances, appears to be a bit alien to many people. The fear is that, the ambulance might come later than expected or would end up carrying the dead, instead of the living, to the health centre, as a result of late arrival. Obviously, carrying an emergency case by taxi or private vehicle, and by persons without an idea of handling such cases, comes with its own attendant risks. The Ambulance Service has to be given further incentives to operate better. This should include facilitation of movement on the roads; the total disregard for ambulances on our roads in some cases, leaves much to be desired.
PUBLIC EDUCATION ON FIRST RESPONSE
Public education on first response during emergency, ought to assume a national or policy approach. This could include integration of First Aid treatment in the education curriculum and the devotion of segments in the media for such sensitization and training. Schools could have some short periods for first response education. This would, in no small way, prepare the up and coming ones to be prepared to handle emergencies, awaiting more specialized intervention.
This education can go on in our major markets, where there is a captive audience and incidence of emergency are a bit regular, as well as lorry stations. The Ambulance Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Health Service and relevant institutions, could organise such training or sensitization programmes.
JOINT ACTION IN EMERNCY RESPONSE
The incidence of health and fire emergencies are part of human life and Ghana cannot run away from this fact.
As has been the case, the national approach to emergencies has some shortfalls that need to be addressed, to save lives and property in times that call for urgent attention.
A comprehensive and deliberate attempt at confronting emergencies or first response cases, holds the key to giving Ghanaians assurance of more safety and security in times of danger.
In some jurisdictions, cases of fire outbreak, a major emergency, are jointly handled by the various first responders such as Fire Service, Ambulance Service, the Police and other relevant institutions.
The reason behind this approach is the belief that one of them could trigger other emergencies. For instance, a fire outbreak could lead to health hazards such as burns and smoke inhalation requiring medical attention; it could also trigger the incident of looting, especially in commercial areas like markets and even homes, requiring police attention. A medical case could call for investigation to detect any foul play, if probable; this the need for police presence. There have been cases of people looting from shops during fire outbreaks, the case of the Katamanto fire outbreak, where an arrest was made of a suspected looter, is a palpable example. The presence of the police as part of a conjoined response team, along with the fire service, could prevent looting. The knowledge that first response would be a joint team work, could be a deterrent for opportunistic thieves.
Such an approach to emergency cases, demands proper training, preparations and equipping of the various institutions involved. Though the nation might not be in a position to handle such joint operations, the will do adopt it, is most likely to create the way, as a gradual approach is initiated. A step at a time, would eventually get to the desired destination some day.
It is the expectation of Ghanaians that emergency cases would be handled humanely, to save lives and property. A more deliberate approach at first response, holds the key to saving the country lives and property.
By Theodore M. K. Viwotor