A well-stocked first-aid kit is a necessity in every home. Most families forget to keep a handy kit at home. In fact, every family should have one of these at home and one in the car. Also, make sure you take your handy kit on family vacations. Listed below are the essentials of a first aid box and the same should help you organise a perfect kit
for the safety of your family. The standard kit comes in durable plastic boxes, fabric pouches or wall-mounted cabinets. The first aid kit should be waterproof and the contents of a basic first-aid kit must include:
w Bandages, including a roll of elastic wrap and bandage strips in various sizes.
w Gauze pads for cleaning wounds.
w Dressing rolls for wrapping and bandaging.
w Alcohol pads or a small bottle of isopropyl alcohol for cleaning wounds.
w A sterile eyewash like a saline solution.
w Sterile water.
w Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs.
w Sterile disposable latex or synthetic gloves, soap or hand sanitizer and a thermometer.
w Plastic bags to dispose of contaminated materials.
w Emergency blanket.
w Scissors, tweezers and a needle.
w Antimicrobial hand wipes.
w Antibiotic ointment for cuts and scrapes on the skin.
w Medicated sunburn spray or cream.
w Calamine lotion.
w Insect repellent — nontoxic to children.
w Lip ointment.
w Aloe Vera gel.
w Personal medications that don’t need refrigeration.
w Medications prescribed by your doctor
The author is a doctor at the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai.