A few days ago, while walking along the Buġibba promenade, a middle-aged foreign woman was lying on the pavement as if dead, facing upwards. I got confused and quite afraid.

While I was still calling an ambulance, under shock, a German lady stopped and started giving the woman assistance. I told her not to touch her but the German lady replied that she could administer first aid. She put the woman on her side, which allowed her to vomit after a minute or two. If it weren’t for this lady, the consequences might have been worse – she could have choked and died.

Later, the German lady told me that in her country knowledge of first aid is a must for all drivers and instruction is given before the driving test is undertaken.

I wonder if the relevant authorities could do something similar in Malta.