World First Aid Day 2021: Theme this year is ‘First Aid and Road Safety’

World First Aid Day is observed on the second Saturday of September annually. So, this year the day is being celebrated today, 11 September across the globe. The special day is marked to encourage people in first aid training which helps in preventing injuries and saving lives in critical situations. First Aid always plays an important role in preventing any harmful situation from getting worse. Other than small recovery, first aid is necessary to keep a victim alive so that he or she can be taken to the hospital for specialised treatment. Regardless of educational background, first aid can be learned by anyone in three to six hours. It is also not a very big investment when it comes to saving lives and people of any age group can train for it. Theme this year: The theme for World First Aid Day 2021 is ‘First aid and road safety,’ according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). History: Henry Dunant, a Swiss businessman from Geneva, Switzerland was shocked and saddened to see people suffering after the battle of Solferino that took place on 24 June 1859. This pitiful sight led him to write Memoirs of Solferino.The book spoke about Dunant’s idea of an independent organisation to provide immediate care to wounded soldiers. After his writings went viral, Dunant formed the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and he became the co-founder of the Red Cross. Later in the year 2000, World First Aid Day was initially observed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). They believed that first aid is a ‘humanitarian act’ and should be easily accessible to everyone. Moreover, the IFRC also urges people to learn basic first aid services and skills in order to help save lives ‘without discrimination’. Every year there are millions of people and animals who get injured and die due to a lack of timely medical assistance. So, with knowledge of first aid, one can easily prevent major happenings by providing immediate care while waiting for experts to arrive.