With an aim to equip people to deal with medical emergencies better, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda on Tuesday launched a "First Responder Course", which will train professionals as well as members of the general public in first aid across the country.

The initiative -- Skill for Life, Save a Life -- aims to "help the nation reap rich dividends" by scaling "the quantity and quality of trained professionals in the healthcare system", according to an official statement."This shall reduce the gap between expectations of employment of the youth and the actual job they get," the statement from the ministry quoted Nadda as saying. As per the statement, the Health Minister highlighted that in India 1,324 accidents occur on roads every day and a life is lost every four minutes, and the measures taken in the first 10 minutes can save a life.

For this very purpose, the training for the First Responder Course will be imparted in the central and state government institutions in each district from next month onwards.Further emphasising the importance of such training, Faggan Singh Kulaste, the Minister of State for Health and Family, said it would be crucial in saving a number of lives which were lost during child-delivery due to inaccessibility to primary care.The curriculum for the courses has been designed by the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) and the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS). "The potential for skilled healthcare workers and professionals is immense in the country. Such courses ensure that the health sector gets the adequate skilled health worker," Nadda said.