Learning how to administer first aid or any form of emergency treatment (even herbal) is a very important thing to know. At first I didn't know that, until two separate experiences that I witnessed made me understand the importance of it.
The first time I saw someone need some emergency medical care was when I was still a little boy. I remember it was during the raining season at the time and the whole of the street was flooded with water, even the front of my mom's shop where I stood.
This young man was walking with his friend, both of them trying their best to step on as little water as possible as they jumped from one dry surface to another. It was during this monkey jump that one of them had jumped and hit his head against an iron container that was beside the road.
I remember seeing this young man fall to the floor, convulsing, while his friend held his head screaming for help. Luckily for them, the people who had gathered around them knew exactly what to do as they began asking for weird stuff like an iron spoon, onion amd some other stuff that I can't remember.
About thirty minutes or an hour later, the young man had slowly gotten on his feet and he and his friend had thanked everyone before leaving. I had soon found out that the reason for the spoon was because they didn't want his teeth grinding against each other while he was having the seizure. As for the onion, I really can't remember what it was used for.
Anyway, that was my first time witnessing anything like that and I was impressed by how everyone there kinda knew what to do and how to save the young man. The next time I saw something like that though, the situation was a different one in a bad way.
I had stepped out of my room one afternoon only to notice an unusual number of people in front of my hostel. Looking closely at the crowd, I noticed there was a young man there who had passed out on the floor. From the looks of things, no one knew what was wrong with him and they also had no idea on what to do in that situation.
Instead I had seen some women praying and kabashing while the young man laid there, fighting really hard to breathe. Now I'm not saying there was anything wrong with praying, but the young man clearly needed medical support and instead of these people to try to transport him to the nearest hospital or clinic, they just left him there while the women continued casting and binding.
Well at least there was someone fanning the young man because it was also a very hot afternoon and he probably had a heat stroke or something.
Anyways, the man ended up getting back on his feet and while he did that, all I could hear was "Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus".. Maybe their prayer did work, or maybe he got lucky and got conscious again. Any which one it was, I wasn't impressed by how the whole situation was handled because that young man could have easily lost his life.
Sadly, I too don't have basic knowledge of administering first aid, maybe if I did I would have helped out in at least one of these two situations.
