Know the legal limits of helping and of carrying medicines
What you may do for a sick or injured person, and what medicines you may hold, depends on the law where you live. Check it before you rely on it.
How
- Duty to help differs by country. France and Germany make failing to help a person in danger an offence. England and Wales have no general duty to act.
- Protection for helpers also differs. All US states have some Good Samaritan law, but who is protected varies. Check your own national or state law.
- Stay within your training. A course certificate does not make you a clinician, and doing procedures beyond it may not be protected.
- Prescription medicines, and especially controlled drugs, follow national rules. Ask your pharmacist and your customs authority before carrying them across a border.
- Never buy prescription medicines without a prescription (medical-3).
Sources
- Good Samaritan law (secondary overview; check national law). Wikipedia, accessed 2026-11
- Build A Kit. Ready.gov (US FEMA), accessed 2026-11