Bradford dentist saves brother’s life thanks to first aid skills
A dentist based in Bradford has urged members of the public to undergo first aid training after he was able to use his own first aid skills to save the life of his brother.
With the help of his dental nurse, Dr Shabir Bashir, was able to assist his brother and colleague Rangzab when he fell to the ground and suffered a cardiac arrest. He also hit his head on a sink when he collapsed.
Forcing the door open, Dr Bashir and his assistant rushed to assess the fallen man’s condition. Despite his worry over his brother’s condition, Dr Bashir remembered his first aid training and checked his brother’s airways, breathing and circulation (known as the ABC in first aid courses) and tried CPR. This was unsuccessful, but luckily, paramedics arrived to take Rangzab Bashir to hospital, where he was resuscitated.
Speaking of what happened, Dr Bashir said:
“He was lucky it happened here (in the practice). If he had been at home he would not be here. He got to intensive care because of the CPR that we both did and I would encourage people to learn.”
He also said of his first aid training:
“I have always seen it as a tick-box thing – you think you will never use it but that day all the things we learned came into effect.”