Julia Shojgu Presents 'Learn to Save Lives' Initiative at KFU

The guests were welcomed by Rector Ilshat Gafurov and Director of the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology Andrey Kiyasov.

The initiative is aimed at teaching the basics of first aid and psychological help to the general public. The fates of the people affected by accidents and natural disasters can be decided in a matter of seconds, and first in attendance are always not paramedics or rescue workers but friends, family or passersby. "It is very important not to be helpless in those situations. We hope that our young citizens will be especially interested in this project", - said Julia Shojgu.

Emergency Ministry employees created a brochure covering the basics of first aid. These brochures were first presented today in the University.

Volunteers were welcomed to try their best at acquiring first aid skills, all the attendants could witness that those are not so hard to master as it might initially seem. E-versions of the "First aid" and "Psychological aid" brochures were also shown to the public.

Kazan was chosen as the presentation location for a reason. The project also includes translations into all minority languages of Russia, with Tatar being the first of them. Overall there are 22 translations already available.

The work has just started, so the Ministry is looking for the best ways to convey its message to everybody. For instance, the Emergencies Ministry and the Ministry of Sport plan to include first aid tests into the national "Ready for Labor and Defense" initiative. This will help people to strengthen their knowledge.

The guests made a visit to the Simulation and Imitation Centre of KFU. Deputy Minister of the Emergencies Ministry Aleksandr Chupriyan was very impressed with the facility and expressed his wish to create such a centre at the Emergencies Ministry headquarters.