We administered CPR to drowned student – UG Sports Directorate discloses

Swimming Coach and Head of Fitness and Wellness Section at the University of Ghana Sports Directorate, Daniel Opare Okyere has refuted claims that the lifeguards at the university’s swimming pool neglected their duties on the day of the demise of Nicholas Atteh.

Nicholas Atteh, who was a level 100 student at the University of Ghana and a resident of the Alexander Adum Kwapong Hall drowned on Saturday, January 29, 2022, in the swimming pool after attempting to swim at a depth of 21 feet.

After the incident, there have been lots of complaints about the safety of the University’s pool and whether Nicholas was administered Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or not.

However, swimming Coach, Daniel Opare Okyere, confirmed to UniversNews that the lifeguards administered CPR on Nicholas, but they sacked the students surrounding his body first.

“We’ve heard a lot of people saying the lifeguards didn’t do CPR and what have you. When you bring the person out of the water, first of all, you need to clear the area. You realize in that video there were a lot of people surrounding the boy so there was a need for some of the lifeguards to move all these people away.

You’d also realize that he wasn’t putting on anything in the video and we can’t let him lie there naked, so we had to go in, bring the shorts out for us to put on him before we took him somewhere to administer the CPR. There were a lot of people around. We couldn’t have done it, it would be unprofessional, He added.

Mr. Opare Okyere also shared some tips on administering CPR when one finds oneself in such a situation.

“When you bring a person out of the water, you need to administer CPR. Check whether the person is breathing or not, if the person is not breathing, you check for the pulse, and then it automatically means you need to administer CPR. It also depends on their ages. Whether they are kids or adults. We’d find a way to go about it” he said.

CPR – or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation – is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. Immediate CPR can double or triple the chances of survival after cardiac arrest.

CPR Keeps the blood flow active – even partially – extends the opportunity for a successful resuscitation once trained medical staff arrives on site.