The news of a 25-year-old passing away is sad enough. But when a poor fellow chokes on his breakfast cereal and dies, then it becomes absolutely tragic.

There was another case just over a year or so ago, when a young lawyer choked on the meal he was sharing with friends and died as a result. Again, a very tragic and sad way to go.

While the most recent case was different, simply because the young man was alone when it happened, one must point out that a simple manoeuvre can stop someone choking. One simply has to react quickly, hit the person on the back with the bottom part of the palm, between the shoulder blades and neck. The hand must be curled. If the blockage does not dislodge, then the first responder must perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre, by going behind the person, linking hands and jerking the person towards them.

The case for first aid to be included in the National Curriculum has been made before, and one must say that one cannot dismiss the idea. Not only does a first aid course teach people how to deal with specific situations, it teaches them to be calm, to assess their surroundings and in turn, marshal people and give out tasks while performing, for example, resuscitation.

The benefits of teaching first aid and secondary care to students, as a compulsory subject, can only be beneficial. In addition to the actual physical and mental skills one gets, doing such a course allows a person to further develop the mind, to be able to think clearly in a situation which could be life-threatening to others.

There are many times when accidents take place, and we end up saying: “If only someone got to him a few minutes earlier.” If first aid is made compulsory, then we would not be saying that any more. Such courses can also inspire younger children to take up a career in medicine or nursing. To put it very plainly, there is simply no reason why this should not happen. The government should engage in discussion with St John’s Ambulance, the Red Cross and others, to first consult them about the idea and then discuss its implementation across the board.

These courses do not take a whole scholastic year and could be set up quite quickly and easily. They could be slotted into the curriculum and held for all students. If the Education Ministry believes that first aid lessons for all students are not doable, then the very least that can be done is to organise a travelling ‘roadshow’ where first aid instructors would go round all schools – private, Church and government – to set up sessions whereby anyone interested can learn the relevant skills.

After all, it could be the difference between someone living, or dying. There are far too many accidents in Malta as it is, knowing how to deal with them would at least reduce the incidence of mortality.