World First Aid Day: Experts Urge Nigerians to Learn Life-Saving Emergency Skills
By Florence Okpeti
As the world commemorates World First Aid Day, health experts, humanitarian organisations and advocates have called for increased public awareness and wider access to first aid training, stressing that basic life-saving skills can make a significant difference during emergencies.
World First Aid Day, observed annually on Sept. 12, draws attention to the importance of first aid in preventing injuries and medical emergencies from worsening while providing immediate assistance before professional medical help arrives.
First aid involves the immediate care provided to a person who has sustained an injury or experienced a sudden illness. Such interventions may include controlling bleeding, treating minor burns, assisting a choking person, placing an unconscious individual in a safe position and promptly seeking professional medical assistance.
Experts noted that emergencies can occur at any time and in various settings, including homes, schools, workplaces, roads and communities, making basic first aid knowledge essential for everyone. They stressed that timely and appropriate first aid intervention can help preserve life, prevent a victim’s condition from deteriorating and support recovery while awaiting professional medical care.
The commemoration also provides an opportunity for governments, institutions and communities to strengthen investment in first aid education and ensure that more people acquire the knowledge and confidence required to respond effectively during emergencies.
Advocates have called on schools and workplaces to integrate basic first aid training into their safety programmes, while encouraging families and community groups to acquire essential emergency response skills.
They further emphasised the need for continuous public education on first aid practices to promote a culture of preparedness and responsible emergency response.
As World First Aid Day is marked, stakeholders reiterated that expanding access to first aid education is essential to building safer and more resilient communities where people are prepared and confident to act when emergencies arise.
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