Free first aid app boosts emergency care in Vietnam

An RMIT Vietnam graduate is behind the development of the first Vietnamese mobile app for first aid, offering lifesaving step-by-step instructions for basic emergency care.

A preview of the So Cap Cuu - First Aid SSVN app.

The free app, So Cap Cuu - First Aid SSVN , is the brainchild of Bachelor of Commerce graduate Ho Thai Binh.

Binh worked with team members based in Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City, Sydney and Switzerland to build and launch the app.

It all started three years ago when Binh joined a Survival Skills Vietnam first aid workshop organised by the Centre for Community Health Research (CHRS) and Support, a non-profit non-government organisation working on primary health care and community development in Vietnam.

“Joining the workshop, I realised how many times I could not have survived if my mom had not been a doctor who knew first aid,” Binh said, as he reflected on the experience that inspired the project.

“In Vietnam, vital first aid and survival skills are not taught in the curriculum.

“Many victims are not properly rescued or not given first aid before being sent to hospitals, causing a very high mortality rate in the country, and thus big loss, suffering and burden for families and the whole society.”

Ho Thai Binh (left) and the three other core members of the project team proudly introduce the mobile app.

After the workshop, Binh searched for first aid apps in the online application store and was surprised that none existed for Vietnamese speakers.

He immediately came up with the idea of making a free, easy-to-access first aid app in Vietnamese.

“Over the past three years Survival Skills Vietnam has trained 12,000 people from schools, community and companies in Vietnam, and with the app we will help reach and provide first aid instructions to even more people in Vietnam,” he said.

Binh joined the project team as founder and project coordinator for the app.

With self-taught coding knowledge, he made the application’s first demo.

As the project has developed, Binh has helped coordinate not only the application’s development but also crowdsourcing and promotion.

The four core team members – located in Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City, Sydney and Switzerland –overcame the geographical distance and worked towards their shared goal, launching the app in September last year.

Via step-by-step instructions illustrated with photos, users can help themselves and others who are in emergency situations until professional medical services can take over.

Tony Coffery, a first aid expert who has delivered training for over 20 years, demonstrates a life-saving first aid skill. Coffery was the medical consultant for the Survival Skills Vietnam project.

The app, available in iOS and Android, has been downloaded more than 1000 times and received high rating from users, especially parents who understand its importance to the safety of their families.

“We are now moving on to fixing bugs and enhancing user experience with voice and video instructions,” Binh said.

“The new version will also have more functions in case of emergencies, functions like active danger warning, emergency contact list and medical profiles.”

Binh currently works in the finance industry and is also the President of the Overseas Alumni Association in Vung Tau.

Story: Thanh Phuong

10 January 2018

10 January 2018

Alumni
Science and technology
RMIT Vietnam

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Free first aid app boosts emergency care in Vietnam