World First Aid Day has been observed annually on the second Saturday of September since 2003. First aid is an important skill that should be accessible to everyone and is essential for saving lives around the world. Knowing basic first aid techniques can help reduce the severity of suffering and injuries, improve preparedness for disasters, and enable more effective responses in emergency situations.
First aid is an important component of pre-hospital care and life-saving treatment before a patient reaches a hospital. Providing first aid to patients and transporting them to hospital greatly supports subsequent hospital care. It also increases patients’ chances of survival and helps prevent their injuries or medical conditions from becoming more severe.
The Myanmar Red Cross Society carries out first aid services as a First Responder for people who have sustained injuries for various reasons, assisting with a strong sense of humanitarian concern, assistance to people in need of humanitarian support across the country, including responding to natural disasters, voluntary blood donation services, emergency ambulance services, and the control of communicable diseases.
The Ministry of Health has worked in cooperation with the Myanmar Red Cross Society and national and international Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations to facilitate the smooth delivery of international assistance and support to people affected by natural disasters. The Myanmar Red Cross Society must place emphasis on working together with the Ministry of Health to manage and supervise the distribution of such assistance so that it reaches the people who are genuinely in need in a timely manner.
First aid can provide significant assistance and protection in sudden or emergencies, helping to save lives. For anyone going about their daily activities, an emergency situation may occur either to themselves or to someone in their surroundings. In such circumstances, having knowledge and skills in first aid can enable a person to provide assistance and help protect everyone, including themselves, from life-threatening danger.
World First Aid Day represents an important opportunity for Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies around the world to promote life-saving activities and raise awareness of solidarity and mutual support. Therefore, Red Cross members should make efforts to ensure that the first aid techniques they have mastered are made accessible to the public so that people can learn and acquire such knowledge. Through first aid, all relevant personnel and Red Cross volunteers should strive to make even greater efforts to effectively carry out humanitarian and community welfare activities for the benefit of the country and its people.
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