First aid, CPR training essential for school staff

The lack of first-aid training among staff has become a growing concern for many parents and educational experts across the Kingdom.
Daily activities in schools are rife with instances in which mishaps and accidents could occur. Simple accidents have the potential of evolving into life-threatening situations if precautions are not taken.
“Students are subject to twisting their ankles, falling, slipping or injuring themselves in any other way, which is why caretakers should be able to immediately provide aid when necessary,” said Ahmed Al-Jaberi, head of the CPR training center at Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Group in Riyadh.
“It is very difficult for paramedics to arrive on the spot, which is why there needs to be trained professionals, whether school staff or nearby emergency camps, to provide immediate aid until paramedics arrive.”
Al-Jaberi urged schools to introduce emergency and first-aid as course offerings in classrooms. “I believe it will be very helpful and increase health security,” he said.
According to Al-Jaberi, the three main topics covered in the training course include the basics of CPR, medical first-aid and theoretical first-aid.
“School staff and senior students must be given first-aid training,” stressed Izzat El-Sharbany, a life support and saving instructor at The Saudi German Hospital (SGH) in Jeddah. “I recall that a school sent their staff to us for training following an incident where a student fell down in the playground and no one knew how to assist him.”
El-Sharbany said that CPR techniques change frequently and need to be handled carefully. “Large schools could have two different accidents occurring at the same time, which is why it is recommended that school staff members receive CPR training and not only nurses. The school nurse can only attend to one child at a time,” he added.
“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) should be performed on a person within 4-6 minutes of the injury, otherwise it may be too late,” said El-Sharbany. “The closest person to the patient must be ready to provide help in case of an emergency, as depending on doctors or nurses is not always feasible.”
CPR is performed on a person suffering from heart attack to help keep brain function intact until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing.
El-Sharbany pointed out that importance is given to life-saving techniques and basic safety procedures during first-aid training courses. “General first-aid and cardio class support are essential training for students and school staff.”
Many schools and parents feel the need to instill awareness amongst students regarding the importance of first-aid services.
“I strongly believe that school staff should be given expert training in first-aid because they work around children and with children around, accidents are prone to happen,” said Aliya Ibrahim, the mother of a seven year-old child.
“It is even recommended for children to learn basic first-aid skills so that they would know how to react in emergency situations.”
Wafa Al-Hammad, administrator at a reputed international school in Riyadh, pointed out that not many schools in the Kingdom have school nurses and doctors to provide support or treatment for an injured child.
“A dozen accidents take place at schools everyday and quick treatment can be given by school staff. This requires training students and staff on how to act in an emergency situations and how to use first-aid.”
The Ministry of Education has yet to issue a rule obliging schools to provide emergency and first-aid training to staff and pupils.