First Aid Skills Used for Real

28th July 2016adminBlog2

So there I was drinking a chilled beverage sat by the pool when I heard the sickening thud of head versus pavement.

I looked around and saw a pair of legs sticking out  behind a table and made my way over.

An elderly chap out cold on the floor with blood pooling around his head….so I cracked on and he was breathing but unresponsive and a scalp wound that was bleeding badly.

No first aid kits to hand so a towel was pressed onto the wound and he was put in the recovery position.

All in all it sounds normal. …but… im in Marrakesh where the languages are French. …The casualty was German and I speak English which made for some interesting translations such as he is on heroin for a sore throat!!! Cough medicine that has opiates in it was the proper meaning.

Then there were the bystanders who were experts…do this,  have you checked that etc etc. Tv medical programmes have a lot to answer for there.

After 20 mins word finally gets back to me an ambulance is on its way but still no sign of a hotel first aider or a first aid kit. Turns out that in Morocco if you give first aid you then become liable for the patient treatment….no wonder every bugger just walked past.

Finally after being out cold for 30 mins the “doctor” arrived….bundled the casualty into a stretcher and whisked him off…hopefully they will treat the neck injuries they caused when they get to hospital.

So to surmise…don’t get ill in Morocco and first aid skills are live savers! If I hadn’t been there to help the guy how long would have the onlookers let him lie flat on his back choking on his tongue and bleeding out?  Culture is a strange beast at times but you would have thought the travel operators would insist on having first aiders/kits in hotels their customers pay for…A question I shall be asking.

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