Chinese doctors promote first-aid training among Sierra Leoneans

A Chinese doctor shows local residents first-aid skills in the Hastings Community in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Oct. 2, 2022. The 23rd batch of the Chinese medical team in Sierra Leone on Sunday provided first-aid training to local communities to boost their capacities for dealing with emergencies. (Photo by Xie Jingjing/Xinhua)

FREETOWN, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd batch of the Chinese medical team in Sierra Leone on Sunday provided first-aid training to local communities to boost their capacities for dealing with emergencies.

According to the team, most Sierra Leoneans have little knowledge about first-aid treatment in emergencies that often lead to early deaths.

Zhou Xi, head of the team, told Xinhua that in most cases when an injury or illness occurs, the decisive role of first aid is often not played by professional rescuers in the hospital, but by the first responder at the initial scene, which highlighted the importance of first-aid training among citizens.

"One of the important skills we showed is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If someone is unconscious and not breathing normally, start CPR straight away, otherwise, that person will die in minutes," Zhou said.

Ren Zhen, a Chinese doctor from the team, said she was happy to train locals with first-aid skills and share health tips about keeping fit and reducing body pain.

"Through the training, we are also happy to see people's awareness towards first aid has been raised and more lives would be saved in future," Ren said.

Kamanda Kemoh, one of the beneficiaries at the Hastings Community, said that the community benefited a lot from Chinese doctors' skills, and he was grateful to see local people getting free treatment to stay healthy. 

Chinese doctors show local residents first-aid skills in the Hastings Community in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Oct. 2, 2022. The 23rd batch of the Chinese medical team in Sierra Leone on Sunday provided first-aid training to local communities to boost their capacities for dealing with emergencies. (Photo by Xie Jingjing/Xinhua)