World First Aid Day, 9 Sept 2023 - Importance, Theme & History

World First Aid Day is a global annual event observed annually on the Second Saturday of every September with the intention to promote awareness about the role of first aid in saving lives.



This year 2023, World First Aid Day is celebrated on the 9th of September (Saturday). On this day, many people from local and worldwide organisations gather to work together to educate people about the importance of having basic first aid skills and their role during emergencies.

Importance of World First Aid Day (WFAD)

First aid is an emergency measure that often consists of simple, frequently life-saving measures that the vast majority of individuals can learn to execute with minimum equipment and no prior medical knowledge. The term “First aid” relates to the administration of care to a human provided by a bystander (s), though it is not considered medical treatment and does not replace expert medical interventions. The core aims of first aid are to preserve life, promote recovery, prevent further deterioration and ensure safe transportation to the nearby healthcare facility.

Several research reports have shown that the lack of first aid provision has been costly at times of emergency. As per a 2005 research study in Bangalore, India, in an unspecified medical emergency, people who received first aid assistance at or near the injury site and were quickly transported to a nearby hospital showed better outcomes and survival. Another 2002 research study in Delhi, India, reported on a fire accident event; there was an assumption of only 6% mortality in patients with more than 60% burn if the patients have received first aid at the site of injury , as the major cause of death in the fire accident were resuscitation failure and inhalation injury.

In the event of a sudden injury or illness, bystanders might play an essential role before the arrival of professional assistance. Globally, the willingness, frequency, and quality of first aid provision are poor due to a lack of basic first aid knowledge but can be improved with proper training. Therefore, World First Aid Day thrives to promote awareness about the importance of having basic first aid skills to become a bystander during medical emergencies.

World First Aid Day 2023 Theme

This year, 2023, the World First Aid Day theme is “First Aid in the Digital World”, which promotes the utilisation of digital tools (mobile apps and online videos/courses) and its resources that aid in the provision of first aid education.

Concept of First Aid

First aid has only been practised as a profession for 120 years. It arose from the Royal Humane Society and military surgeons’ teachings, who perceived the value of first aid training in splinting and bandaging battlefield wounds. In 1878, Surgeon-Major Peter Shepherd of the Royal Herbert Military Hospital in Woolwich, London, and Colonel Francis Duncan, two Aberdeenshire military officials, pioneered the concept of training civilians in first aid skills.

Surgeon Major Peter Shepherd taught the inaugural session in the hall of the Presbyterian school at Woolwich and prepared the first aid curriculum. Shortly after the first lesson, Woolwich residents put their training to use when the pleasure boat Princess Alice sank in the Thames at Woolwich, killing 600 people.

By the end of the 19th century, several St. John first aid certificates had been granted, demonstrating the rapid global development of first aid training. Shepherd's groundbreaking lectures shifted international attitudes around the importance of providing trained paramedics. 

History of World First Aid Day (WFAD)

The history of first aid initiated back to prehistoric times when people adopted natural remedies to treat injuries and illnesses. However, the modern notion of first aid began to evolve in the nineteenth century. Henry Dunant, a Swiss industrialist, founded the International Committee of the Red Cross and firmly believed that everyone, regardless of nationality or affiliation, deserved access to emergency medical care.

The World First Aid Day was established by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on the second Saturday of September in the year 2000. Since then, every year on the same day, it is observed globally with different themes.

Steps for First Aid

Even though emergency situations vary widely, the following four fundamental steps that always apply:

• Step 1: Ensuring the area's safeness
• Step 2: Evaluate the injured person's condition. 
• Step 3: Seeking help. 
• Step 4: Providing first aid.

Know more about health awareness days