Bleed now, not later

If the Red Cross gets its way, First Aid must become a compulsory subject at school. The Namibia Red Cross Society recently demonstrated how First Aid skills help to save lives in disaster or emergency situations. They pointed out the need for First Aid skills to prevent injury turning fatal and to provide immediate on-site assistance to a person in distress. The Red Cross stressed the importance of a working knowledge of First Aid as it is often the first form of any assistance a critically ill or injured individual receives. Injured people who otherwise may have survived, sometimes are lost due to the inability of those first on the scene, to provide resuscitation and life support. This is typically what happens at road accident scenes but it equally applies to cases of drowning, burning, snake bite and even choking. (Photograph by David Adetona).