GreenLight Initiative in partnership with Iwuanyanwu National Ambulance Foundation and Ministry of Health, Rivers State has embarked on a COVID-19 response safety training for drivers.
The training is aimed at empowering these drivers with safety knowledge.
The “Safety Training for Ambulance and Truck Drivers during COVID-19” took place in Abuja, Gombe, Kano, Lagos and Anambra State Nigeria.
The last pilot phase of the training took place in Rivers State. The training modules are designed to empower these drivers and assistants with COVID-19 safety protocols; basic infection prevention control; basic first aid, appropriate and rational use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and education on road safety measures.
The training will enable these drivers to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19, enforce and advocate for COVID-19 safety protocols as they deliver on their jobs; and ensure that COVID-19 supplies and equipment are delivered to hospitals in a safe and timely manner.
Since the discovery of the index case of COVID-19 virus on February 27, 2020, in Nigeria, the number of confirmed cases has continued to rise to a record figure of over 131,918 while fatalities have gone up to more than 1,607.
With more than 80% of Nigeria’s economic activities hinged on road transport with people and goods needing to move from point A to B for daily lives, many drivers commute without applying safety protocols, contributing to further spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Those affected most are motorists who are responsible for truck and ambulance operations in Nigeria.
Truck and ambulance drivers who are responsible for the transportation of medical supplies, patients, and logistics needed for COVID-19 management in Nigeria are ill-trained and equipped.
They lack personal protective equipment (PPE) and training. Between May and June of 2020, a video of an ambulance team who tried to transport a COVID-19 patient went viral over the Internet because of the poor way the team handled the patient without consideration for their personal safety.
Incidents like this occur daily and reflect the reality on the ground in so many places in Nigeria.
Similarly, many of these drivers operate without knowledge of road safety, which results in injuries, loss of lives, and damage to medical and logistics equipment needed for a functional health supply chain.
These negative consequences worsen already-existing health commodity transportation and logistics challenges, such as a discredited workforce; lack of occupational safety practices; and a dangerous working environment.
GreenLight Initiative is an organization that works to promote transportation safety and sustainable development.
