By Monsuru Olowoopejo

Apparently concerned by Lagos state civil servants health status, the governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has ordered that workers and public officeholders undergo health training, to equip them with new strategies on ailments prevention especially at work.

It was gathered that the governor was concern that large percent of staff do not know their accurate health status.

The Senior Special Assistance to the governor on health matters, Dr. Shola Pitan, in an interview with newsmen at the health engagement campaign, disclosed that the governor believed that the best solution to have healthy workforce was to ensure staff are aware of their health status.

Ambode

Pitan further hinted that health captains would be appointed in every unit in a ministry to provide first aid treatment whenever the unforeseen health issue occurs in workplace.

The special assistance stressed that beyond training on diabetes, cancer and other terminal diseases, the staff would be trained on how best to provide first aid treatment to colleagues that suffers injuries or heart attack at work before the rescue health workers arrive the scene.

“For one to have people working in a place, we know that accident happens, and beyond that, we know that people can have one challenge or the other which they aren’t aware off. And if that health challenge comes up, someone should be enlightened enough to assist before they call on the doctor or ambulance.

“Research has shown that if someone has heart attack, before the doctor arrives, it takes some time. There will be need for people within that location to intervene by giving that person cardiopulmonary resuscitation by using the machine called defibrillator, which sends electronic signal to the heart. If that is done within first two minutes, that person will have atleast 60 percent chance of survival.

“Beyond that, if one sustains injury at work, how can someone within that location assist immediately? The workforce is a community and there is need to cater for them.

“We will have health captains in each offices, such person must have undergone first aid training. And the reason is that if anything happens, such person could assist immediately,” he added.