RescueRanger
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Image 1: CPR training in schools in Pakistan. Photograph by the author, please do not reproduce without prior permission. Thank you
I was visiting a dear friend in Lahore a few months back and he told me about a traumatic accident he had witnessed, he recalled in detail how the casualty who was rising on the roof of a bus fell down and suffered a traumatic head injury, he went on to say that everyone just stood and watched, no one knew what to do, until a woman shouted “someone call 1122”.
My friend did not know what the outcome of that incident was, but strongly believes that basic first aid skill would have enabled him to be an up stander that day and not just another bystander.
Every day in Pakistan thousands of people get injured on roads, in their homes, in schools and workplaces. According to International Journal of Medicine Trauma is the leading cause of death for adults under 44 years age.
Road traffic accidents are the second highest cause of deaths in Pakistan.
Statistics published reports by the WHO 30,000 people in Pakistan die every year due to road traffic accidents, fires claim 16,500 deaths annually whilst sudden cardiac arrest accounted for more than 80,000 deaths per year – that’s more than 200 deaths every day.
Ambulances are in short supply in large and densely populated cities. For example, Rawalpindi a city with a population of 2.1 Million has only 14 fully equipped emergency ambulances (note: this number doesn't include motorcycle fast response service).
The professional pre-hospital care provided by Rescue1122 is testament to the hard work of its staff, however it is worth considering that the volume of emergency calls has risen from 90 calls a day in 2007, to over 230 a day, in a country with a population of over 212 million those few well equipped Ambulances staffed with professional EMTs will not be able to answer every call.
Hoax calls make up the bulk of incoming calls to the emergency helpline, in 2019 Rescue 1122 received 1.18 million calls deemed to be hoax, fake, nuicense or malicious.
Therefore, teaching communities first aid is vital, especially considering in a study into pre-hospital care by five major hospitals in Karachi showed that out of 187 patients admitted during a study, none received bystander CPR or first aid. The report concluded that “Patients who received life-support interventions survived for longer time, though not clinically significant, as compared to those who did not”.
This behaviour of “bystander effect” - the more people there are at the scene of an accident, the less likely anyone is to help as they all expect someone else to take charge and it is driven in part by the shared psychology of communities.
In an article published by the Association for Psychological Science in 2015 it was stated that “children as young as 5 years old are less likely to help a person in need when other children are present and available to help”.
So what’s the solution to this malaise, how can the state increase the confidence and skills of a nation so that we are ready and capable of delivering emergency first aid to our families, friends and even strangers in the street?
Students from Osaka, Japan undergo CPR training in School.
In counties such as Japan, Singapore and in Europe first aid training forms part of the school curriculum or as part of extracurricular activities. The International Committee for the Red Cross believe that every child aged between 5 and 11 should be taught basic first aid, helping them to stay safe and save lives in emergency situations.
Volunteer's from St. John Ambulance UK demonstrate CPR
It will ensure that from the day they learn their new skills, we have a new culture of first aid, with a whole generation of children growing up with the skills and confidence to save a life.
Curriculum can be designed and tailored to suit the appropriate audiences for example:
Primary Schools pupils should be taught:
• how to make a clear and efficient call to emergency services if necessary
• concepts of basic first aid, for example dealing with common injuries, including head injuries
Secondary and High School pupils should know:
• basic treatment for common injuries and illnesses
• life-saving skills, including how to administer CPR
• the purpose of defibrillators and when one might be needed.
Just like STEM Skills are critical to school success and life, by teaching children lifesaving skills, they will always have them, ready to help their classmates and families, and will take these skills with them wherever they go for the rest of their lives!
Don't just take my word for it, hear what just two of my former students have to say about how basic skills will help them serve others in future:
References:
1. Outcomes following cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an emergency department of a low- and middle-income country - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12245-018-0200-0
2. Characteristics of traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients presenting to major centers in Karachi, Pakistan—a longitudinal cohort study - https://intjem.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12245-018-0214-7
3. Knowledge of first aid and basic life support amongst medical students: a comparison between trained and un-trained students - https://jpma.org.pk/article-details/2839
4. Knowledge attitude and practices of undergraduate students regarding first aid measures - https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/47256849.pdf
5. Awareness Level of First Aid in General Population, Karachi Pakistan: A Survey Report -
6. https://www.researchgate.net/public...l_Population_Karachi_Pakistan_A_Survey_Report
7. Road Traffic Accidents; Predictions in Pakistan: WHO
