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aimed to encourage everyone to be aware of the importance of first aid in helping accident victims, to prevent disability and loss of life.
Lao Red Cross President Dr. Snivourast Sramany said the organisation’s medical staff had an important job in advising the general public on first aid training. Their goal was to show people how they could help accident victims and improve their chances of survival.
Dr. Snivourast said first aid played an important role in the work of the 186 Red Cross Union member countries, this could be observed from the increasing numbers of staff and volunteers who provided first aid in disaster areas. He said every year Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers trained more than 3.5 million people around the world, teaching them techniques that would save lives and relieve suffering.
Dr. Snivoureat said it was essential for Laos and other countries to increase their knowledge of first aid so that every family could contribute to this international effort. “Everyone the world over should be trained in first aid so they can help those in their family and others who meet with an accident-we shouldn’t discriminate between nationality and skin color,” he said.
He said the promotion of life, health, human dignity and non-discrimination was at the heart of action strategies for Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world.
“It is only by treating everyone on an equal basis and making sure the only criteria applied for the delivery of humanitarian assistance are vulnerability and need, that first aid actually saves lives and prevents injuries.”
Dr. Snivourast said since 1993 the Lao Red Cross had trained 1,500 volunteers in first aid, focusing on villages, schools and companies in rural and urban areas to encourage development and health in line with government policy. |
