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Abstract
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Statement of Purpose Reliable records on the spot of road crashes in Nigeria indicate that about 55% of deaths occur as a result of lack of prehospital attention. PATVORA, an NGO, during the UN Road safety week (2007) launched its pilot scheme on community First Aid (FA) by training of petrol station attendants on major highways.
Objective This study seeks to examine PATVORAs community FA initiative and its impact on road injury and death reduction.
Method This study investigated PATVORAs free training on FA administration to petrol station attendants Asaba-Onitsha and Asaba-Kwale two major highways of about 110km. Trained attendants, community members were interviewed. Official records of road traffic injuries were obtained from the police.
Summary of Results In the initial 4 months of operations, a total of 181 attendants were trained on FA, 28 road crashes were recorded. 20 of the road crash scenes witnessed timely help from the trained petrol stations first aiders. The attendants contributed in administering first help and mobilising support for early transportation of victims to hospitals. The community FA initiative enhanced volunteering for road safety and it strengthened the capacity of communities and individuals to respond to and reduce the impact of road crashes. The initiative was an efficient for community safety development especially on rescue operations and can be useful in developing communities. |