When an accident occurs in the family, such as a heart attack or injury to a child, the victim is often in need of quick medical attention before the ambulance arrives.
Families are making little effort to teach their kids and relatives how to give first aid in case of an emergency.
“We are trying our best to increase awareness among families about first aid. Several awareness programs are being launched to attract as many people as possible, both adults and children,” said Dr. Munirah Balahmar, community medicine consultant at Jeddah Health Affairs Management.
According to Balahmar, her department organized several courses about first aid at medical centers, schools and charity associations.
“We have had some experience in teaching first aid to parents and children. It become an urgent requirement, especially with the increase in accidents recently,” she said.
“The child’s safety must be the first priority. Parent should keep their first-aid kit at home and in cars.” She added that ambulances would struggle to arrive on time because of heavy traffic on the roads. “Some schools are calling us to organize several training courses for students. There are special pamphlets that demonstrate first aid techniques,” said Balahmar.
Balahmar prefers to facilitate training courses for parents and children before providing them with these pamphlets and other information to read. She added that families should educate their kids about the dangers associated with swimming pools and fireworks, among others.
Abdullah Al-Yousuf, government worker and father of two, said he realized the importance of first aid during a flight from Riyadh to Jeddah.
“Twenty minutes after we took off, one of the passengers suffered from a heart attack. I feared for the man’s life and thought that he might die,” he said.
“A passenger along with the flight crew performed CPR and managed to save the man in time. The passenger was not a doctor but a sports teacher. He happened to take some first aid training courses.” He added that first aid education should be made compulsory in school. He said that he does not want to be in a situation when he needs emergency treatment and the man next to him does not know what to do.
Manal Salem, mother of one child, agrees on the importance of being able to perform first aid.
She said that she was at a religious ceremony when her friend’s son suffered from a seizure.
“The mother did nothing but scream and cry. One of the guests gave first aid and managed to revive the child. Then she called the driver and took the child and her mother to hospital. If the child was alone with his mother, then he would have been in trouble,” she said. Manal has urged all mothers to take first aid lessons in case of emergency.
Muna Farag, an Egyptian teacher and mother of two children, confirmed that most Arab husbands fail to ensure there is a first aid kit at home or inside their cars.
“I think it is not enough to own the kit if we are not taught how to use it. Learning first aid should be done at health departments. Many husbands refuse to attend such courses or even to own a first-aid kit.”
