It all started two years ago. Vimal K.R., an assistant professor, was at his home when his wife suffered a minor burn. Unable to find any remedy at home, he rushed to his neighbours; but none of them had an ointment or a cream. Everyone suggested a quick first aid – toothpaste!
That was the moment when it hit him that people had no basic knowhow about first aid. Concerned, he discussed the incident with his friend Amjith, who had just witnessed the death of his cousin’s newborn from choking on breast milk. Another friend, a nurse, too had an experience to share – of a child being brought to casualty with severe burn injuries and toothpaste applied all over the body. It took one whole day for the medical staff to clean up the child and assess the intensity of the burns. The family had no idea that toothpaste would make it worse!
“As we gave it more thought, we realised that the larger public had no idea about first aid practices, even the basic ones. We decided to conduct first aid awareness programmes,” says Vimal, who, along with his father Ravindran, friends Amjith, Suresh and Vyshakh, formed Healing Hands Foundation, an NGO based in Ramanattukara. The NGO started functioning with distribution of first-aid kits and then, the members took the American Heart Association's (AHA) first-aid course, after which they started handling sessions.
Going by the phrase, they started from home. The team imparted first-aid training to their family members and then stepped out to assist society to save lives. “For the past two years, we have been offering training to college students, teachers, fishermen, policemen, Kudumbasree members and residents’ associations in various parts of the state. Along with teaching new lessons, we have been able to bust several myths and wrong practices during rescue missions,” says Amjith.
What we have been seeing in movies as first aid is stupidity, he observes. “If someone without proper knowledge tries these absurd onscreen practices which serve as just comic relief in films, it could be fatal. Proper training from experts is very important. Our expert team is currently training the student and staff volunteers from Devaki Amma Memorial Institutions, Chelembra, who would carry the mission forward,” says Amjith.
First aid, Vimal says, is not just CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). “In any accident, the first 60 minutes is the golden hour. Any delay in reaching the hospital poses a huge risk to the victim’s life. Proper first aid increases the chances for survival. By manually administering chest compressions and artificial ventilation, we can manually preserve intact brain function. And if we have a simple portable automated external defibrillator (AED) anyone can operate, the usual dialogue Had the patient been brought here a few minutes ago... can be avoided. Our long-term plan is that no one should die without getting first aid. CPR should be an instinctive response in emergency situations; we need to develop a first aid culture among us,” he says.
The members of Healing Hands Foundation have termed their dream mission First Aid Literate India. As a first step, the foundation has joined hands with Chelembra panchayat to make it the first first-aid-literate panchayat in the country. For these young men, it’s not a profit-base activity. All of them engage in various professions and allot their weekends and holidays to spread the mission. As Vimal puts it, “If I have first aid knowledge, it won’t benefit me, but others. If I need to survive, others should know how to save a life. I learn for them and they learn for me.”
Wrong practices in accident rescue
Moving road mishap victim: If not carefully rolled into recovery position to keep the spine in line, the injury could worsen. Lift the victims with the support of others to avoid twisting the spine.
Helmet removal: If the injury is to the spinal cord, forceful removal of helmet might result in paralysis.
Choking: Hold the baby face-down with head lower and give back blows effectively.
Accidental amputation: Never place the severed limb in an ice pack; the tissues might get damaged and the organ can never be reattached.
Snakebite: Neither tourniquet nor sucking out the venom helps. It might result in nerve damage and infection instead of saving life.
Fall: Do not rotate a person if he falls from a height. If there’s fracture, the bone might tear into internal organs and make matters worse.
