Good health:- what to do before doctors come

IT is not uncommon to suffer mild or major health problems at homes that require urgent attention prior to proper medical attention at hospitals.

From slight headache to deadly bites, what can a layman do to treat victims or preserve their lives before a doctor is brought in? Medical problems are quickly attended to by applying First aid treatment and Dr Victor Adeyefa, a Belgium-trained medical practitioner, defines First Aid as the assistance or care given to any person suffering a sudden illness or injury to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, and/or promote recovery.

First aid does not necessarily require any particular equipment or prior knowledge, and can involve improvisation with materials available at the time, often by untrained persons.

Some of the common ailments that may require emergency treatments are diarrhoea, burn and snake bites, among others.

"One starts to feel faint, get weak and collapse or die. That is because victims would have lost much body fluid via stool. Saline water solution should be carried out at once. Get a cup of very clean water, add salt to it and give the victim to sip so that he or she can regain salinity and little strength. To avoid cholera outbreak, however, a clean surrounding is the best thing to keep.

"Though diarrhoea and vomit go together, it's not the same thing," he added.

"ORC solution, or oral technology, is simply salt and sugar solution and together with zinc tablet, it's the best way to curtail vomitting before a doctor comes. Zinc tablet is important, especially for children, and should be applied within the first 24 hours. After the application, one should take the victim to a hospital," Dr Ajeigbe said.

"As regards second and third degree burns, which could be from very hot vegetable oil, water, kerosene explosion, etc, there is no home medication, the victim must be taken to a hospital quickly," Dr Agejide said.