This afternoon, Netcare911 paramedics responded to a near drowning at a nursery school in Kew, Johannesburg.
Reports from the scene indicate that a two year old boy fell into the pool.
When Netcare911 paramedics arrived on scene they found that the boy was in a conscious state due to the fact that one of the teachers had already performed CPR on the boy.
Paramedics assessed the toddler on scene and then transported him to a nearby hospital for further medical care.
Netcare 911 advice on drownings:
- Prevention is better than cure.
- Be vigilant and keep a watchful eye on children around water, keep pool gates locked or cover your pool with a certified pool net.
- A basic course in first aid and CPR can make a dramatic difference in the outcome should the skills be applied timeously. For further information on the courses available, please contact the Netcare 911 Faculty of Emergency and Critical Care on 010 209 8383. Ensure that you use an accredited facility and receive a certificate of competence.
- In any emergency situation the most important thing to do is immediately contact the correct emergency number for the relevant authority. Try and memorize the number for emergency services in your area and keep the number saved on your cell phone or close to your landline telephone. In many cases, during the panic of a medical emergency, people cannot remember the correct number or cannot find where they have written it down.