Sofia, Sept 10, (BTA/GNA) – On the occasion of World First Aid Day 2022, marked on September 10, Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) Deputy General Director Nadezhda Todorovska told BTA that the organization has been fighting for over ten years now for the widespread use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be permitted in this country. At present, not everyone is allowed to use them, when practically AEDs cannot be utilized in the wrong way because of how they work.
An AED is used in case of cardiac arrest. One does not need to be a medical professional to operate the device, as it is designed to not work when the person it is used on does not need it, Todorovska explained. In other European countries, AEDs are available everywhere where a large number of people are present. In the UK, such devices are available even in kindergartens, she added.
According to Todorovska, drivers should undergo a first aid course periodically. At present, they must take such a course at the BRC only once in order to obtain their driver’s license. In other countries, a first aid course certificate is required for many professions and is renewed at a specific period of time, she said.
Greater attention should be paid to first aid training in schools, the BRC Director General argued.
On Saturday, BRC volunteers demonstrated the use of an AED in Sofia’s South Park as part of the marking of World First Aid Day and an initiative mottoed First Aid for All Ages.
BTA/GNA