A FIRST Aid Basic Review Course was recently held for 80 members of the Belait District Scouts Association (PPDB), at the premises of the Oil and Gas Discovery Centre in Seria.

Organised with the collaboration of the Emergency Medical Ambulance Services (EMAS) at the Suri Seri Begawan Hospital (SSBH) and the Brunei Darussalam Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), the course was primarily aimed at updating the knowledge of first-aiding in various practical modules.

The course participants were joined by the Scout Commissioner for Community at the Brunei Darussalam Scouts Association (PPNBD), Haji Md Salleh bin Haji Ahmad; and the Executive member of the PPDB, Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Ramli Abdul Hadis.

In his keynote address, Haji Md Shahrin bin Haji Jumat, the Head of EMAS at SSBH, stressed the fact that immediate response to emergencies can help increase the patient’s chances of survival by a large margin.

Meanwhile, Norfaezah binti Haji Masri, Assistant Scout Commissioner for District Public Relations and a representative of the PPDB, expressed the hope that the course would go on to become an annual event for PPDB and EMAS. A team of paramedics from the SSBH and 10 members of the BDRCS then briefed the participants on the correct procedure for cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), as well as the proper application of bandaging, splinting and folding stretchers for patients.

To supplement the information, practical sessions were also held in between the briefings.

The main objective of the event was to ensure the participants’ proficiency in basic first aid, in line with the aims of the BDRCS to have a ‘first-aider’ for every home or family by 2035.