August 2022. Shawon and Himel encountered a tragic incident in the Mirpur area of the capital.
A pedestrian, with his hands on his chest, collapsed on the road in front of them. When they dialed 999, the national emergency number, they came across a delay due to several inquiries from the operator on the other end. Many others went by, but nobody was able to assist. Fifteen minutes later, the sick pedestrian slowly and agonizingly passed out. The cops arrived, gathered the body, and transported it to the closest hospital. The man was pronounced dead, and his cause of death was declared a heart attack.
Seeing such an unexpected, heartbreaking death in front of their eyes, the two “BigyanPriyo” members became upset as they felt powerless in that situation. They began their inquisition: What else could an observer do in such a situation but stand and watch? In light of the situation, two specific actions may have been taken. One, make quick contact with the closest hospital; Two, until the ambulance arrives, keep the patient upright and leaning against a sturdy surface.
Both demanded that someone in the crowd had first aid training and be psychologically prepared. The pedestrian might not have passed away in this manner if even a passerby had been aware of this protocol.
Based on this concept, along with Thowhiduzzaman, another BigyanPriyo member, they intend to offer basic first aid training in at least one school and slum area in every union in the nation. "Project Praachi" was underway.
The human body is prone to disease, stress, and injury. First aid is the initial, urgent care provided to anyone suffering from a mild or serious disease or injury in an effort to preserve life, stop further damage, or aid in recovery. This includes providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and treating minor injuries before seeking professional medical attention. It also includes applying plasters or bandages, treating minor conditions, saving a life by stopping an injured patient's bleeding, and treating minor conditions. First aid is typically given by a professional who has received the necessary training.
In Bangladesh, 10% of the population has a serious injury once every six months. Of which 98.3% of those who sustain injuries are victims as a result of improper first aid (not knowing or knowing it incorrectly). Every year, the lack of access to basic medical care results in the deaths of 1,50,000 persons worldwide. Heart attacks claim the lives of 29,000 people because proper first aid is unknown.
In the bustling metropolis of Dhaka, this kind of injury is more typical. There are roughly 1270 educational institutions in the city, including colleges, madrasas, and secondary schools. Students can safeguard themselves and their families from unwarranted dangerous situations if "Project Praachi" is made available as an extracurricular activity in educational institutions. There will be a generation that is self-aware.
Muhammad Shawon Mahmud, the founder of BigyanPriyo, claims that the organization can teach first aid to up to 300 students every month at two to three educational institutions. As a result, by 2030 it will be feasible to train roughly 25,000 students to become first aid experts, and 25,000 families will be in the forefront of handling major illness-related problems in addition to significantly lowering the number of preventable deaths from traffic accidents.
However, who will provide the training? First aid is an operational subject containing delicate topics like patient transfer and CPR, so the instructor needs to be qualified and experienced. "No one has the authority to give first aid training without first aid TOT (Training of trainers) trained certificate holders," stated Shawon in this particular circumstance. We currently have a training team made up of a doctor and a nurse who were trained by the Bangladesh Red
Crescent Society. Our goal is to progressively enhance the quantity of competent educators.
At the beginning
Due to a shortage of trainers and training supplies, Team BigyanPriyo first got in touch with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society. As per the directive from the President of Bangladesh, all educational institutions in the nation are required to establish a Youth Red Crescent Team. They have arranged first aid training for a set number of pupils as a team-building exercise since 1971.
Team BigyanPriyo's first action as Praachi was to fully collaborate with the Youth Red Crescent group at a girls' school in Kallyanpur, Dhaka. Over three days, the training program lasted eighteen hours. This time, a virtual reality simulation was used to conduct a "virtual first aid" exercise with the pupils.
Shawon stated that in this particular scenario, they started off without trainers or useful instruments. Furthermore, experience was required. The Red Crescent headquarters was eager to cooperate with them as soon as they approached. While the Red Crescent has been offering the same training for a long time, Project Praachi's goals, motivations and methodologies are very different from their own. Project Praachi added virtual simulation to this training with artificial intelligence (AI), which their team is still working on.
In reference to the application of virtual reality (VR) in first aid, Shahriar Islam Himel, the second leader of Praachi, stated that virtual reality can simplify and enhance this procedure. Students use VR equipment to identify the injuries of an injured patient who is presented to them in a VR simulation. For the time being, as far as we can tell, with enough financial resources, we will be able to enhance this program by adding “immersive” and “mixed reality” VR, which has the potential to elevate this co-educational program to a new level.
'Don't proclaim yourself a doctor'
Regarding Project Praachi, Thowhiduzzaman, the third project leader, stated, "One of the two principles of first aid is, 'Don't proclaim yourself a doctor.'" In certain circumstances, a qualified individual can prevent the victim from passing away. Additionally, just dialing the emergency number and dispatching an ambulance at the appropriate moment can save a life. Many folks do not even consider doing this simple task.
And with that thinking, Project Praachi made its debut. They are “always on” by disseminating first aid training, from a mother's hand getting burned while cooking to getting someone engaged in a car accident to a doctor.
It is rare to discuss the need for first aid training. The elementary and secondary textbooks contain a chapter on first aid, but there is no possibility to learn any skills from that. Three individuals require first assistance per hour while we are oblivious to the situation. When there is a road accident, people tend to the injured by getting them into a rickshaw or CNG. What if the rickshaw or CNG guy was equally trained in first aid?
A brief history of BigyanPriyo
BigyanpPriyo is a science-based education platform in Bangladesh. Its trip began in 2018. At the time, founder Muhammad Shawon Mahmud was a second-year Jahangirnagar University physics student.
Initially, the team of BigyanPriyo amassed over 6 lakh members by engaging in candid conversations and solving problems related to popular science in a Facebook group. There are currently about 150,000 science-related inquiries addressed. Subsequently, they released their own articles and electronic magazines on Facebook and their website. BigyanpPriyo was the target of a cyberattack in July 2021.
Even after attempts were made to erase their online existence, they resurfaced. BigyanpPriyo received state recognition in 2022 as the recipient of the Joy Bangla Youth Award.
Md Ashikur Rahman is a freelance contributor.
