First aid has been taught to school students aged 14 and over in five of Scotland’s 32 council areas after a scheme was launched in 2021.
But is this something that should be offered to every pupil in the country?
Today, Scottish Greens health spokesperson Gillian Mackay has urged the Scottish government to expand the programme, run by the charity St Andrew’s First Aid.
She says this would emulate countries in Scandinavia, where pupils are taught medical skills at school as a matter of course.
Ms Mackay said: “First-aid lessons are something that by the time we are adults many of us simply won’t have done or will ever find the time to learn, despite the fact it could literally help to save someone’s life.
“It makes sense for us to look at ensuring they can be taught and embedded in young people at the earliest opportunity so they carry that knowledge and practical capability with them for the rest of their lives.”
She added: “Research shows ‘bystander intervention’ in the event of a cardiac arrest went up from 20 per cent to 70 per cent in the first decade in Denmark, for example, greatly improving the chances of survival. In Scotland, about 50 people a day die from heart attacks or related issues.
“Accidents too can happen anywhere at any time, up a mountain, on our roads, in our waters, in the workplace and even in our schools, so there is no downside to extending a common sense opt-in scheme like this.”
Ms Mackay said the potential cost savings stemming from school-based first-aid training should be investigated, adding: “It seems odds on that the modest costs would be far outweighed by the eventual benefits.”
She has written to St Andrew’s First Aid, as well as education and health ministers, seeking their comments on the effectiveness of the pilot and how it can be expanded.
A petition calling for first aid to be an “integral part” of the primary school curriculum was previously raised in the Scottish Parliament by the chief executive of St Andrew’s First Aid, Stuart Callison.
The Scottish government - which is formed by the SNP and the Scottish Greens - has been contacted for comment.
