Train schoolchildren as first responders, says former medical officer

Former senior medical officer in the Ministry of Health, Dr Deana Ashley, is proposing that children in schools across the island be trained in first aid.

Ashley put forward the proposal at a 'Cost of Care and Data Mapping Forum' held in Kingston yesterday.

She says children over the age of 10 should be trained and retrained every two to three years as first aiders.

This she said would build a population within communities that can do first response in the event of accidents.

Meanwhile, head of the Department of Accident and Emergency at the Kingston Public Hospital, Dr Hugh Wong says regional hospitals need upgrading so they can provide the care that KPH is now providing.

Wong, who was also speaking at the forum, said the transfer of patients from these hospitals to the KPH is resulting in increased burden on the Kingston-based hospital.

In his comments, Dr Trevor McCartney, Medical Chief of Staff at the University Hospital of the West Indies, proposed the development of trauma units in the major hospitals across the country.

He said there should be units trained specifically to deal with multiple traumas.

McCartney said this would produce better results at a cheaper cost and would make a significant improvement in the morbidity and mortality rates.