OIC Secretariat, Red Cross conclude First Aid training ahead of 15th Islamic Summit

The training on safety and health was conducted to ensure participants are better prepared to receive the summit delegates.

The 15th OIC Summit is scheduled to take place in Banjul in May of this year.  The Summit is expected to host about 3000 delegates.

Speaking at the opening on Friday, Yankuba Dibba, chief executive officer (CEO) for OIC Secretariat said his office was established in 2018 to support the implementation of necessary activities that would lead to a successful summit.

He added that in May, The Gambia will receive 57 heads of state for the 15th Islamic Summit.

“Most of the countries that are coming for the summit probably have better roads, better hotels and infrastructure than us. I can assure that they will only be coming here mainly if their safety and health are guaranteed,” he said.

“If they perceive The Gambia to be stable and safe, they will come. If they perceive The Gambia is a place where their health concerns can be addressed, they will come and you cannot address health concern without having capacity to be able to handle health and safety,” Dibba said.

He highlighted the significance of the training, saying that health and safety is a requirement to everybody who lives in a family or in a community.

Alassan Senghore, secretary general of the Gambia Red Cross Society described The Gambia as a country with one of the highest numbers of road traffic accidents. He added that most of the road accidents leads to death and disabilities.

He pointed out that it is not the impact of accidents that leads to disabilities or deaths but the way victims are handled and transferred to receive care.

“This is exactly what first aid addresses. First Aid is about skills and not about equipment. If you have the skills, you can stop bleeding without using anything apart from your hands,” Senghore explained.