34 paramedics graduate From left ACE air and ambulance Operations Director Mr Mark Smythe, middle Ryan Muchedzi (Being awarded certificate) from the right is the ACE air and ambulance CEO Mr James Hatlstaed

Yeukai Tazira Herald Reporter
Thirty-four paramedics graduated at ACE Air and Ambulance headquarters in Harare yesterday, a feat that will add to the numbers of health personnel in the country.

ACE Air and Ambulance partnered Government in launching the first public air ambulance in 2019 which assists patients in accessing emergency healthcare services at affordable rates under the Government’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) thrust.

Speaking on the sidelines of the graduation, ACE Operations Director Mr Mark Smythe said about 15 Ambulance Technician courses had been done so far with the Emergency Medical Technician course having been started this year.

“We have two levels of training that we offer, the first one being Ambulance Technician (AT) also known as Basic Paramedics course. The course runs for five weeks of theory and eleven months of attachment.

“The Second group is the EMT course and the theory which runs for 14 weeks and 11 months of attachment. We have done 15 courses of the AT courses and this is our first EMT which is an advanced course,” he said.

Twelve awards were given to classes for the most improved, best overall and outstanding students.

One of the best students, Elvis Tavengwa said he intended to use the skills he acquired to save lives.

“Always when you are learning a new thing, you will not know what to do and what to grasp first but along the way, you get used to it.

“The other challenging part was doing my child delivery attachments. I did not like the trauma which ladies go through. It was an eye-opener for me. This course means a lot as I have always been interested in saving lives. This course means a lot to me as I have always been interested in saving lives,” he said.

Another ambulance technician, Tarumbidzwa Tumbare, said she was elated to be one of the few females to scoop awards.

“We started our course five weeks ago and training was really tough. I grew up being told that men were the only ones who could become paramedics and that did not stop me. I pushed and really tried my best,” she said.

Said Ryan Muchedzi who also graduated. “The training was great. It started off tough with the running and catching up time but I feel like the hardest part was maintaining what you have learnt. Each week came with different things but it turned out great. In the end, I managed to do it through the help of our teachers and being the best student means a lot.”

Terrence Mlambo said he would continue advancing his career.

“It was a hard course and the longest three months of my life. I had a lot of hospital attachments to do which required a lot of time and sacrifice. Now I have reached a big milestone and I am not stopping here. I will advance further until I become one of the best paramedics in Zimbabwe,” he said.

The Air and Ambulance services company played a pivotal role together with the Airforce of Zimbabwe in providing emergency evacuation services to communities affected by the Cyclone Idai in March 2019, which mostly affected parts of Manicaland.

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