WRC emergency kit for rally

Benjamin Wachira (left), Chief Medical Officer and Medisurge Director Alex Gikandi inspect medical equipment at Kasarani Stadium ahead of the 2018 ARC Safari Rally. [Stafford ondego/www.sportpicha.com]

The Safari Rally, which zooms off this Friday, will have the World Rally Championship standard medical equipment for emergencies.

This is in line with the Safari Rally WRC Project preparations as Kenya seeks to regain the World Rally Championship (WRC) status it lost in 2002. This year’s competition will count towards the Africa Rally Championship, an upgrade from the national status last term.

The cutting edge emergency medical equipment that includes the Thomas Advanced Life Trauma Support kit was delivered yesterday by Medisurge, a local medical equipment supplier.

Dr Alex Gikandi, a director of the firm, said the kit complete with oxygen cylinder, though in a back pack, can handle any sort of emergency and is considered a standard in life-saving situations anywhere in the world.

“When the American medical inspectors visited our showroom ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit, they assigned us to place the kit at the Kasarani indoor arena and UN headquarters where the president delivered public speeches,” said Gikandi.

One kit will be put in the medical evacuation helicopter during the three-day Safari and two others at the Service Parks at Sopa Lodge, Naivasha, and Soyambu ranch. Also in the chopper is advanced equipment known as automatic defibrillation to manage a sudden heart attack.

“We are not leaving anything to chance,” said the chief safety officer, Nazir Yakub, who thanked Medisurge for donating first aid kits for every car in the Safari.

The rally drivers will head for reconnaissance in Naivasha today.