Delhi schools to soon get curriculum for first-aid

Officials in the Delhi government said the health and education departments were consulting medical experts from leading hospitals to effectively design and introduce this curriculum.

New Delhi: The health department in collaboration with the education ministry is working on a detailed curriculum on first aid and basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for students in Delhi government schools, senior officials said on Friday.

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According to officials of the Delhi government, the health and education departments are consulting medical experts from leading hospitals to effectively design and introduce this curriculum in schools.

“This plan is still at a very nascent stage. We are still working on the details, but if we develop a holistic curriculum, then it would help train the next generation to manage medical emergencies, which could save lives,” a senior health official said.

Government officials said that while a regular curriculum for first aid has not been introduced to date in Delhi schools, the state government in 2015 started providing compulsory first aid training to its teachers and administrative staff. Since then, teachers are being trained in basic emergency care.

The health department has also been working on preparing the capital’s public infrastructure for medical emergencies. The department is planning to install automated external defibrillators (AED) — a medical device designed to analyse heart rhythm and restore it to normal through controlled electric shocks — in crowded areas such as bus stops, marketplaces and railway stations, with officials saying that teams will soon begin a mapping exercise to identify possible locations to install the devices.

“It would be progressive taking into account the age and level of understanding of students. But it is too early to say anything,” the official said.