PM Rutte calls on all Dutch to take first aid courses

Prime Minister Mark Rutte is calling on all Dutch to take a first aid course and so make the Netherlands safer. He made this call in a Red Cross video for a campaign drawing attention to the importance of knowing what to do in an emergency, RTL Nieuws reports.

"Let us make sure in this way that we make the Netherlands safer and help each other", Rutte said in the Red Cross video. "That is really something we can do as a society."

Rutte first took a first aid course after experiencing a situation in which someone needed first aid. "Luckily someone else knew what he needed to do. That encouraged me to do a course." he said, according to RTL. He admits that he needs a refresher. "My experience is that you need to keep practicing. For me this is reason to again take a CPR course."

According to the Red Cross, about 7.6 million people are injured in accidents each year. Many of these accidents happen at home. It is therefore important to know how to react.