EDITORIAL : We need to prioritise first aid training

DISASTERS and accidents can strike at any time.

They usually strike when we least expect them in our lives.

The panic, which comes when disasters and accidents strike, has also resulted in a lot of deaths.

Road accidents, floods and earthquakes are some of the disasters where first aid is needed as a matter of urgency.

This calls for inclusive emergency care skills training around the world.

With accidents affecting all classes, races and age groups, it’s high time we invest in emergency care skills training.

In today’s issue, we are running an informative article on the need to prioritise first aid training.

The important call was recently made in Gweru by the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe director, Munesuishe Munodawafa, following a surge in disasters and road accidents.

He noted that there was a need to champion and raise awareness on the need to scale up the emergency care skills training to save lives.

It’s sad to note that we have people who perished in road accidents where first aid could have played a part in saving their lives.

It’s also unfortunate that we have lost lives in cases where witnesses lacked the skills to save victims.

Watching someone dying, without offering a helping hand, is both sad and traumatic.

The trauma of watching a dying person, while you can’t help him or her in any way to try and save his or her life, is a horror story.

First aid training is critical since professional and emergency help is not immediately guaranteed when disaster strikes.

In some cases, accident victims might need to be airlifted, when the road networks are bad, especially in rural communities.

It, therefore, becomes a necessity to prioritise first aid training both in rural and urban areas.

Schools should also play a leading role in first aid training to ensure that we raise a generation of children who can do something, to try and help their colleagues, whenever the need arises.

In rural communities, where most of our people are found, there is a real need for us to embark on programmes which will empower them with first aid skills.

Organisations such as the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society should be hailed for their efforts to champion first aid training.

They need genuine partners to ensure they raise awareness and they can empower the public on first aid training.

The biggest partners should be volunteers in both urban and rural set-ups.

By making voluntary commitments to emergency care skills training, we are only helping ourselves.

At one moment or the other, we will all be confronted with this situation where we either need to help someone or we need someone to help us.

It’s important that, when that time comes, we will not only be ready to provide a helping hand but those who are meant to help us, will be ready to do that.

We all need to learn first aid training since accidents and disasters are part of our lives.