Road carnage: Kampala Traffic Police trained in offering first aid to victims

Kampala Metropolitan Traffic Police officers have been given skills in responding to road accidents and offering first aid to victims.

According to the Kampala Metropolitan Area Traffic Police Commander, Norman Musinga, there have been cases of people who die in road accidents yet the same can be avoided, and this he said promoted them to partner with the Uganda Red Cross to help equip their officers with first aid skills.

“Many people have been dying because of negligence and poor response at the scenes of accident. Through this training, we are embarking on equipping our officers with first aid skills that will come in handy during accidents,”Musinga said.

He said that on many accidents on Ugandan roads, many people who would have survived end up dying because they have not been able to get first aid from responders.

Musinga added that the day-long training will also see traffic police commanders reminded of their roles and responsibilities at accident scenes.

“You find a commander who does not know what to do at an accident scene. You see the dead victims are mixed up with the injured after an accident but the commander is watching. We want to have then trained to also participate in giving first aid in case of accidents, other than ordering their juniors,”Musinga said.

According to Miti Lwanga, the officer in charge of commercial first aid and ambulances at Uganda Red Cross, many accident victims dies of simple issues yet the same can be avoided.

“Many accident victims died of over bleeding yet traffic officers who are the first responders can use their handkerchiefs and their belts to stop the blood. This training with help equip them with skills to manage the same,”Lwanga said.

He added that in many accident scenes, traffic police officers are the first to arrive but don’t know what to do and this he said has led to many deaths.

“Officers arrive but don’t know who to call for assistance. With this training, we want to give them skills that can help save the accident victims. We want to teach them how to give first aid.”

The training for traffic police officers is being piloted in the greater Kampala Metropolitan Police area before being rolled out to other police regions throughout the country.

Background

A study done recently by the Makerere University School of Public Health indicated that about 9,000 people perish in road traffic accidents annually in Uganda.

The study found out that this number is three times higher than that declared by the police.