​By Koketso Maraba
 
The Gauteng Department of Health, through the Lebone College of Emergency Care (LCOEC), has managed to equip 3,203 community members with life-saving skills as first responders across all five health districts. This is above the target committed by MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, during the delivery of the departmental 2023/24 budget vote to capacitate 2,500 people with First Responder training. 
The First Responder Training programme is an initiative of the Department intended to provide communities with knowledge and skills necessary to assist victims while awaiting emergency support from qualified responders and healthcare professionals.
MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko stated that the training empowers participants to effectively respond to common emergencies such as accidents, trauma incidents, medical emergencies, and cases of suicide, all while awaiting the arrival of professional emergency response teams. 
The training program covered a wide range of scenarios, including assisting victims experiencing convulsions, managing critical wounds such as stab and gunshot wounds, providing aid to individuals who have fallen from heights, addressing sprains and strains, rescuing drowning victims, and treating burns. Participants were also taught how to perform CPR on individuals who have no pulse and are not breathing.
High-quality CPR when performed immediately can double or even triple survival from sudden cardiac arrest. Having more people equipped to provide high-quality CPR at any point along the chain of survival can help us improve survival rate. 
As part of the Department's TISH (Township Informal Settlement and Hostel) outreach programme, the participants who took part in the training were mainly young unemployed people from various disadvantaged communities from Ekurhuleni, Sedibeng, Johannesburg, West Rand and Tshwane districts. 
One of the trainees, Tshepiso Maboe, expressed gratitude for acquiring life-saving skills through the training. He shared that he had previously encountered medical emergencies but lacked the knowledge to respond effectively. Now equipped with the necessary skills, he feels confident in his ability to handle emergency situations involving burnt wounds, bleeding, seizures, and fractures. Maboe believes that in future emergencies, he will be better prepared to provide emergency aid. 
"The First Responder Training has given me the skills I need to attend to burnt wounds, bleeding, seizures, and fractures. I believe that next time when I am faced with an emergency, I will be in a better position to deal with it," said Maboe.
MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko said during the 2023/24 budget vote speech that the Department through its TISH programme will ensure that healthcare services reach every corner of the township especially those living in townships, informal settlements, and hostels. The First Responder Training programme seeks to bridge the knowledge gap in emergency care services by ensuring that in every street of the community there is a trained person to attend to provide aid when the need arises.