Source: Bogus first aid training negatively affect receipients | The Herald
Precious Manomano Herald Reporter
The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society has urged the public to desist from acquiring first aid training from unregistered health institutions.
This comes after the organisation noted that a number of agents without proper accreditation were running training programmes, targeting gullible masses who intend to seek employment abroad.
In an interview, Zimbabwe Red Cross Society’s secretary-general, Mr Elias Hwenga said people should be wary of such bogus trainers.
He said the situation should not continue as it will affect people’s lives and at the same time damage the reputation of their organisation.
“We urge members of the public to report to the police if they suspect a bogus health practitioner. I urge members of the public to be alert because it is an offence for people to make falsehoods that they collaborate with Red Cross. Only the Red Cross Society can train authentic first aid training,’ he said.
He said poor service delivery is usually offered by these bogus health facilities who charge exorbitant amounts for the training.
Recently the Zimbabwe Professional Nurses Union (ZPNU) president Mr Robert Chiduku urged people to buy drugs from reputable outlets to avoid given fake medication that will worsen their conditions.
The street drugs are not tested and there is no guarantee that they are genuine and have been stored properly. Worse still, the drugs are being dispensed by untrained vendors, who have usurped the functions of doctors, nurses and pharmacists.
He added that people should buy drugs from reputable outlets to avoid being given fake medication that will worsen their conditions. There is also a growing tendency of people who skip visiting medical practitioners and go straight to get medication from pharmacies. High mark-ups imposed by importers, wholesalers and retailers of medicines have resulted in a flood of cheaper and fake drugs being smuggled from neighbouring countries and sold on the streets by vendors.
Some of the drugs are banned by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) because of their hazardous effects, but they find their way illegally onto the market.
Unlicensed medicine vendors who sell skin lightening creams, sex-enhancing products, pain killers and various other products continue to be a menace in the country.
Some of the drugs being sold on the streets without prescription include: cotrimoxazole, ibrufen, pethidine, stromox, super apetito, erythromycin, azithromycin combicult, brimal satchets, Broncleer, comblimodus, diclofenac tablets, Depo provera, doxycycline, hydrochloride injection, Attesan, benzylpenicillin, diazpam and ampicilasodica.
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