Celebration of World First Aid Day 2023 with the theme “First aid in the digital world” and first aid simulation of road traffic accidents. (Source: Vietnam Red Cross Society)

The event aims to emphasize the role of information technology and digital transformation in promoting, spreading, sharing, raising awareness, understanding and skills of people, communities and society in first aid activities.

Attending the event were about 700 delegates who were leaders of Central Committees, Ministries, branches, and organizations; representatives of a number of international organizations and foreign embassies in Vietnam; leaders of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, departments, branches, organizations, districts and cities of Vinh Phuc province; Red Cross Associations of provinces and cities in the Northern region, along with a large number of cadres, civil servants, public employees, workers, students, union members, Red Cross volunteers in Vinh Phuc province...

Speaking at the ceremony, President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society Bui Thi Hoa said that first aid is an activity of profound significance to the formation and development of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, one of the traditional activities of the Vietnam Red Cross Society and has been stipulated in the Law on Red Cross Activities.

Over the years, the Vietnam Red Cross Society has actively organized activities in response to World First Aid Day and identified first aid as one of the important traditional and strong activities of the Vietnam Red Cross Society. The Society has been approved by the Ministry of Health and issued a set of first aid training materials for trainers, instructors, volunteers and people in the community.

First aid has always been one of the important traditional and strong activities of the Vietnam Red Cross Society. (Source: Vietnam Red Cross Society)

Through that, the Association at all levels has trained nearly 300 qualified first aid trainers and instructors. This is a team of cadres participating in training, equipping knowledge and first aid skills for volunteers working at over 500 first aid stations and points, and taxi drivers, motorbike taxi drivers, and those who regularly operate in areas where traffic accidents often occur to be ready to support and help people when accidents occur; Organizing first aid training for students in schools, people living in areas with high risk of accidents such as along national highways, where storms, floods, landslides, and earthquakes often occur is also focused on promoting to build safe communities, capable of responding promptly in necessary situations.

In the period of 2017 - 2022 alone, the Association at all levels organized first aid training for nearly 700,000 people, equivalent to about 0.8% of the population, and disseminated first aid knowledge to nearly 3 million people, equivalent to about 3% of the population.

Since its establishment (November 23, 1946), the Vietnam Red Cross Society has always considered first aid as one of its important tasks. In recent years, the Vietnam Red Cross Society has continuously expanded its cooperation with partners in the international Red Cross - Red Crescent movement, domestic and foreign partners to develop first aid activities.

Currently, in the whole country, only the Vietnam Red Cross Society has a community-based first aid system deployed nationwide and is implementing a model of mobile volunteer first aid teams and establishing first aid stations and points on key traffic routes, at locations where traffic accidents often occur to promptly provide first aid to victims.

The establishment of community-based first aid models by the Vietnam Red Cross Society has actively contributed to proactively preventing and promptly overcoming consequences for victims of traffic accidents, drowning as well as victims of natural disasters and other catastrophes, providing timely assistance to victims, contributing to limiting the death rate and injury and disability for victims.

First aid is not only knowledge and skills that need to be known, but should be considered a requirement, an essential condition for everyone, every agency, unit, organization and community.

With the message "First aid in the digital world", in the coming time, the Vietnam Red Cross Society is determined to continue promoting propaganda to raise awareness, disseminate knowledge and first aid skills to people, focusing on the application of information technology, digital transformation to innovate training methods, first aid training and communication to raise public awareness of first aid such as: Building instructional videos and technical simulations, digital games for use in first aid training courses, helping people everywhere, all ages and all circumstances easily acquire and retain first aid knowledge and skills; continue to strongly develop community-based first aid models with the spirit: First aid for everyone and everywhere; Early first aid determines the life of victims, contributes to minimizing risks, creates a safe life for all people, especially vulnerable people in the community, thereby enhancing the role, image, position and prestige of the Vietnam Red Cross Society in the community and society.

In fact, if the victim receives timely and proper first aid, there is a high chance of saving their life, or preventing the injury or illness from getting worse, contributing to promoting the healing and recovery process. If everyone, every community, organization, agency, and unit is equipped with basic knowledge and skills in first aid and basic first aid equipment, it is completely possible to proactively perform first aid for themselves or those around them in unexpected risks before the arrival of medical staff or before the victim is taken to the nearest medical facility for emergency care.

In today's modern society, first aid is not only knowledge and skills that need to be known, but should be considered a requirement, an essential condition for everyone, every agency, unit, organization and community.