"Most citizens encounter the basics of first aid only once, during their driving test. Later, this knowledge is rarely renewed and is forgotten over time. The result is that many citizens do not know how to react if a person near them loses consciousness or has an accident, nor do they dare to provide help. In Croatia, for example, the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is only 5 to 10 percent," the Croatian Red Cross reports.
For comparison, in Scandinavian countries, almost 90 percent of citizens know how to provide first aid because training is built into the education system, and first aid knowledge is regularly updated in Germany and Austria, where most citizens readily apply first aid procedures.
HCK notes that knowledge and application of first aid procedures before the arrival of emergency medical services significantly increase the chances of survival and reduce the risk of permanent consequences.
Therefore, the Red Cross and Red Cross societies regularly conduct courses to train as many citizens as possible.
The celebration of World First Aid Day will take place today at 10 am at Zagreb's Bundek, with the opening of the National First Aid Team Competition, where more than a hundred participants will demonstrate their knowledge in attractive scenarios such as a plane crash, an accident in a disco club, and an accident in a bunker.
In addition to the competition, workshops for children were organized, first aid kits were distributed to kindergartens, and picture book reading and learning through play were organized.
Photo: HINA/Miroslav Lelas
