Worth risking?

Every parent should learn first aid, says Dr Pathmarani K. Naidu, of Cedars-Jebel Ali International Hospital (JAIH). In addition to doing occupational health training for businesses, the hospital provides first aid courses for parents, babysitters and nannies.

• By Vijaya Sukumar. Staff Writer
• Published: 00:00 April 20, 2006
• 

Every parent should learn first aid, says Dr Pathmarani K. Naidu, of Cedars-Jebel Ali International Hospital (JAIH). In addition to doing occupational health training for businesses, the hospital provides first aid courses for parents, babysitters and nannies.

What would you do if your child suddenly choked or stopped breathing?
Most parents have no answers to these questions, as they lack basic first aid skills. Accidents can happen at any time and it is on such occasions that you realise the importance of first aid. Appropriate first aid given in the first critical moments can make a world of difference.

So why wait for an accident to happen to realise the importance of first aid?
Recognising the difference first aid training can make in saving lives, community groups such as Mirdif Mums have organised first aid training for parents, babysitters and nannies.

Supporting them in this venture is the Cedars-Sante Training Centre, the Life Support Training Division of Cedars-Jebel Ali International Hospital (JAIH). Division head Dr Pathmarani K. Naidu believes that, ideally, everyone should be trained in first aid.

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As a 13-year-old schoolgirl in Malaysia, Dr Naidu was introduced to first aid when she became a St John's Ambulance brigadier. Little did she know then that this was to be her life's passion. This tryst with first aid as a young girl spawned an interest and a career in medicine.

Nominated by the Malaysian Government, she obtained her medical degree from the Lady Harding College in New Delhi in 1980.

From 1982 to 1986 she worked in the General Hospitals in Ipoh and Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, which gave her exposure to several departments. After getting married in 1986, she moved to Italy and worked at the United World College in Duino.

It was during this job and later in India - where in 1997 she became resident medical doctor at Mahindra United World College, Pune - that her interest in first aid was rekindled.

After moving to Dubai in 2001, Dr Naidu qualified as an American Heart Association (AHA) instructor and an American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI) instructor. She joined Cedars-JAIH when it was a medical centre.

The hospital's First Aid Training Module for Parents and Babysitters evinced a lot of interest at the 1995 Dubai Mother, Child and Baby Show. Spurred on by the importance of first aid, several Dubai parents have decided to take it upon themselves to encourage others to learn this skill.

"It is snowballing without any efforts from me," she says.

"(Parents) realise the value of first aid and organise (courses). In communities such as Jumeirah, Mirdif, Arabian Ranches and the Green Community it arises from the need to feel confident about handling an emergency until the arrival of emergency services.

It's all about time; the first few minutes (after an accident) will determine the outcome, the extent of disability or damage."

Dr Naidu defines first aid as "the immediate care that one administers or renders to an individual who is in some kind of a health difficulty ... be it the smallest of an emergency
or something critical."

She strongly believes in the AHA's chain of survival. In this, she says the first step is "early access".

"A first aider has to be (taught how)to recognise an emergency and call for the emergency medical services - this is the first step. The second step is to check if the patient needs CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) then get an AED (automated external defibrillator) if available and administer it. After which the patient is to be sent for advance care.

"You can have the best of hospitals but if this chain is not in place, it can never succeed. I believe in strengthening these links because any chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

In Dubai, first aid is particularly important in the event of a traffic accident, she says.

"Traffic accidents are horrendous. The way cars pack up the ambulance can't even reach (them) - the 10 minutes it takes to reach (an accident) is so valuable. This is why the first
 three links in the chain of survival are vital. If these are weak the chain will continuously break," she says.

Dr Naidu stresses the importance of training people in industry.

"In Jebel Ali Free Zone there are about 5,000 companies with about 50,000 people. One chemical blast could result in 300-400 casualties," she says.

"Generally, there are three categories of casualties: critically injured, serious and those with moderate injuries. (In the event of an emergency) doctors manage critical cases, nurses the serious ones while every first aider will be needed to handle moderate injuries."

In such a situation commonsense is not enough, says Dr Naidu. "It is essential to understand the science behind the whole thing. Why you should do and not do certain things and the best technique to do them.

"For example, even tying a bandage requires a certain technique. When you are trained in first aid you know how to do it the right way because there is a pressure involved, there is a science behind it. You feel confident in yourself and (relieved) that you have done it the right way. You do not feel helpless."

Dr Naidu's team also trains school teachers, students, housewives and babysitters. It also offers paediatric modules for parents and babysitters. The team has a flexible approach to training, sometimes visit homes, while courses can be conducted in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Tagalog, English and Arabic.

Training for babysitters
Many domestic emergencies occur in areas that are a distance from medical services, says Dr Naidu.

"Recent drowning accidents in far-flung residential areas have further enhanced awareness of the importance of getting trained in first aid," she says.

"It's fine for the parents to do the course but it's the babysitter who needs to know what to do in an emergency situation, as they are often with the kids. (Most babysitters) are more than willing to learn and have to be taught at a different level," Dr Naidu says.

Emergency situations often leave people in a state of extreme panic or render them completely unable to react.

Yet training can help overcome this."Initially, there will be an emotional shock and an adrenaline rush. Training gives you the knowledge (of how) to handle such a situation, without which you would be playing a guessing game. It gives you the confidence to take the right steps. This can never come from just reading a book. This is why training is a must."

Constant, ongoing training is even more beneficial.

"A person's experience makes a difference. For instance, a PE teacher who has done several first aid courses will be far more competent compared to a (first aid novice)."

She says incorrect administration of first aid can lead to complications.

"By watching TV programmes such as Chicago Hope you cannot begin to pretend to be a nurse - since you have not been trained! You need to know where your limitations end and wait for the ambulance to come. You need to stabilise the casualty. One of the international regulations is to function within the skills taught."

Parents take action

Members of community group Mirdif Mums took it upon themselves to seek out first aid training for parents, nannies and babysitters in the community.

"At the end of the day it is our responsibility to look after our family and ourselves," says Carole Worrall, a mother of twins Adam and Scott, 3.

After speaking to other members of the group, Worall says there was a consensus on the need to teach first aid to parents, maids and babysitters in the community. Investigating several training institutes, the group opted for Cedars-JAIH, as the team there was willing to train them at the location of their choice.

The course for parents is different from the one for babysitters as it takes into consideration the difference in comprehension levels.

Worrall enrolled her children's nanny, T. Nishanti, for the course in order to teach her how to deal with an emergency.

"Nishanti is the second babysitter I have got trained. I would do it again tomorrow if I had to, as they are with the children the most. In other countries it is mandatory for babysitters to have a degree of first aid training. Just because we don't have that system here doesn't mean we should not take on the onus," Worrall says.

Nishanti says she feels more confident after doing the course.

"Before doing the course I did not know anything. But now I know CPR and ABC (airway open, breathing and circulation). I like reading the first aid book and now am more confident. Earlier I used to be afraid but now I know how to respond in an emergency," she says.

After completing the course for parents, Catharine Vaas decided her maid, Soniya, also needed training.

"I just felt the need to do it to better protect my daughter (Adrianne)," says Vaas. "There are many things to learn and a lot of things are out of our control, but training enables you to handle different situations. So when the kid is choking you don't panic; you know what you are supposed to do."

Though Vaas has a reliable maid in Soniya, for a year she didn't step outside her home without her daughter.

"It took me a long time to (allow) my nanny to babysit my daughter. It was a question of not (feeling comfortable) on my part. I trusted her but I would always worry about what  she would do in an emergency. Now that she has done the course, I often go on a long deserved night out with my husband without hesitation."

While many countries have professional babysitters and nannies, in the UAE housemaids often take on the role of a nanny. Yet many maids lack first aid training and can't be expectedto perform competently during emergencies.

First aid training enables working mums to feel comfortable leaving their children at home, but is also a great morale booster for babysitters.

Zeenat Sacrame, mother of 2-year-old Layla, says first aid training gives housemaids confidence. "It can give the babysitters a sense of pride in their abilities. They feel that you appreciate their help by giving them an opportunity to learn something they otherwise would not be able to."

Having completed the Cedars-JAIH first aid course for parents, Sacrame plans to get her nanny trained, as it would give her the confidence to return to full-time work.

Tanya Vanburen, a Sri Lankan nanny who works for Rachael Hodson, says the first aid course organised by Mirdif Mums was very useful.

"The course is very good. If I have to save somebody, it will be useful. Earlier I would have panicked. But now, having done the course, I am more confident," says Vanburen.

Aside from helping her at work, the training is an invaluable skill that can be used anywhere, says babysitter Gita.

"I know that if anything happens to anyone here I can help them," she says. "It will also be helpful for me and my family. If somebody becomes unconscious I know I have to give him or her CPR. I keep reading the books and I think all of us should do it."

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