According to Mr. Tran Van Tuan - Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society, since 2007, the Ho Chi Minh City First Aid and Disaster Prevention Training Center has been established and assigned to the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society for management. After nearly 20 years of operation, the center has built a team of experts, lecturers and volunteers to participate in first aid, rescue and relief in many events, natural disasters and emergency situations in Ho Chi Minh City as well as other localities.
In addition to disaster response tasks, the center regularly organizes first aid training courses for the community. According to Mr. Tuan, popularizing this skill not only helps each person protect themselves but can also support those around them in emergencies, especially before victims have access to specialized medical services.
Citing data from the National Traffic Safety Committee, Mr. Tuan said that in 2025, the whole country recorded nearly 18,000 traffic accidents, causing about 10,000 - 12,000 injuries. On average, there are about 28 deaths and 33 injuries per day due to traffic accidents.
These figures show that first aid is not only a necessary skill but also a humanitarian action, which can contribute to saving many lives in the golden time before receiving medical care," Mr. Tuan emphasized.
To expand access to first aid skills in the community, the Vietnam Red Cross Society, the Urgo Foundation (France), universities and the Long Chau pharmacy system have implemented a program to build community first aid points. This model aims to support people and tourists in emergency situations, helping to provide timely initial intervention right at the scene, thereby limiting complications and minimizing health risks.
According to the plan, first aid points will be deployed in some residential areas, apartment buildings and areas with a large number of tourists. In parallel, the program also focuses on training first aid knowledge for pharmacists, students and forces regularly in contact with the community.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Tuan - Deputy Head of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ho Chi Minh City - said that first aid skills should not only be limited to the medical field but need to be widely disseminated. According to him, when equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills, students can become the core force in spreading life-saving skills to the community.
The long-term goal is to make first aid a common skill for people. When each family has basic knowledge to handle initial emergencies, the risk of death and unfortunate consequences can be completely reduced," Mr. Nguyen Duc Tuan shared.
