Not just first-aid equipment, people should be given first-aid skills too

A LEGISLATIVE PROCESS is on to ensure public places are equipped with first-aid equipment. But the public should also be trained to administer first-aid. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

The draft of the Basic Medical Treatment and Health Promotion Law has been submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for its fourth review and it suggests that public places be equipped with necessary first-aid equipment.

The need for such first-aid facilities has gained currency and captured public imagination after actor Gao Yixiang died of a sudden cardiac arrest during the shooting of a game TV show last month.

A first-aid equipment called automated external defibrillator (AED) is crucial for saving the life of a patient suffering from a sudden acute myocardial infarction. But in China the availability of such equipment in public places is far from adequate.

According to a report, 394 AEDs exist for every 100,000 residents in Japan and 317 for every 100,000 residents in the United States. The figure is just 0.2 when it comes to the Chinese mainland.

Regulations to equip public places with first-aid equipment are conducive to help those who suffer from a sudden ailment and to safeguard people's health. Such people-oriented social progress has won widespread public praise.

But ensuring that a good law is implemented properly is just as important. First-aid equipment like an AED is very expensive, and who should pay for it is a question that needs to be addressed first. The authorities should clarify how they can ensure availability of first-aid equipment at all public places, and make periodical plans to fulfill it step by step.

What should also be improved is the public's consciousness and skills in administering first aid. Most people don't know how to administer first aid.

The most they can do during an emergency is to call 120. In such circumstances the golden rescue period is of little use even if first-aid equipment is readily available.

The authorities should therefore popularize first aid knowledge and encourage medical staff and people to receive first-aid training and actively participate in administering first-aid at a public place as the law stipulates, and the ordinary citizens should also acquire and master first-aid administering skills to help people in need.