“An annual opportunity for everybody to promote and gain knowledge in first aid’’

 First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person suffering from either minor or serious illness or injury. First aid is provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, to promote recovery and to help to ensure safe transportation of the casualty to the nearest health care facility.

World first aid day is celebrated on second Saturday in September every year. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) introduced World First Aid Day in 2000. Each year more than 100 Red Cross and Crescent Societies around the world organize events and ceremonies on World First Aid Day to raise public awareness of how first aid can save lives in everyday and crisis situations.

World First Aid Day has become an unmissed event with a different theme every year. Thousands of volunteers and staff actively involve to raise awareness, inform and introduce everyone-young and old-to first aid, disaster response, and actions that save lives free of charge.

As per the ‘World Report on Child Injury Prevention’ by WHO, approximately 830,000 children under 18 years die every year as a result of an unintentional injury. More than 260,000 children and teenagers die from road traffic injury which is one of the leading cause of unintentional injury. 720 children die from road traffic crashes everyday. Other major causes of unintentional injury are drowning, burns, falls and poisoning. Child injuries are preventable. Implementing appropriate interventions could save more than 1000 children’s lives a day.

Losing a child unexpectedly has a huge impact on parents, siblings and families. Non-fatally injured children need to live with a disability that affect their social development, education and their ability to work.

Children spend the maximum of their time in schools and schools are institutions where children explore and develop their social, emotional and academic thinking to become productive and healthy members of society.

How to celebrate World First Aid Day? We all should learn first aid essentials as early as possible, starting with school children. Teaching them the basic medical skills can one day become a life-saving activity. Students should also taught about the importance of first aid, emergency numbers and the equipment of first aid kit.

First aid education in schools should be a function of the school teacher. To do this important work, teacher should be well versed on first aid techniques and sincerely interested in the welfare of the students. Children take back to their parents the first aid knowledge they receive in schools, and even more important, when they become adults they apply this knowledge to their own families and communities. If the children are taught about basic first aid techniques, they will be able to provide relief to the casualties in accidents and emergencies there by saving many lives. First aid is considered as a cost effective strategy to reduce morbidity and mortality.

‘BE A FIRST AID HERO AT YOUR SCHOOL AND IN THE COMMUNITY’

 “First Aid at School”

Which is the theme for this year’s World First Aid Day, celebrated on September 11, 2021.

Lissy Sudesh

SERV Master Trainer

Indian Red Cross Society

Andaman and Nicobar State Branch