Sunday 21 Sep 2025 {HMC} In times of conflict, the care of the wounded and sick is a basic responsibility shared by all those involved – without distinction. This is precisely what international humanitarian law (IHL) calls for.
The first five minutes of a medical emergency are often the most decisive. At that moment, the first point of care is not a hospital; it is you and me. At any one point in our lives, anyone can find themselves in a situation that calls them to act, stepping into the role of a first responder.
Seamless, uninterrupted care can greatly determine the outcome of a tragic incident. This chain of events, right from first aid on the ground through prehospital care, to transportation and finally hospital admission, is only as strong as its first link. And first aid proudly takes that mantle. It is the first knot tied in a moment of crisis, the link that bridges a person in distress to hope, to professional help, and ultimately to healing.
On this World First Aid Day, we celebrate all those who step up. We honour the hands that hold life steady in those critical minutes – the trainees, the volunteers, the skilled paramedics, and the community members who make the conscious choice to be that unbreakable first link. Their actions set everything else in motion.
With support from the ICRC, the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS), operates a nationwide First Aid and Prehospital care programme designed to ensure Somalis in need, are never alone in their times of crisis.
