Programme to train public in CPR to be launched on World Heart Day

The Health department will launch a programme to train everyone in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on September 29, the World Heart Day.

Voluntary workers, Kudumbashree members, drivers, residents’ associations, members of various armed forces and educational institutions and the public would all be put through CPR training in phases so that every person is equipped to perform this life-saving measure during an emergency.

CPR is an emergency life-saving procedure/first aid performed when a person suffers a cardiac arrest, a health emergency wherein the heart stops beating. If administered properly, CPR can help keep a person alive by maintaining the blood flow till emergency hospitalisation or an automated external defibrillator (AED) can be made available to restore the heart beat of the person and bring him back to life.

The CPR training for all is being taken up by the Health department after fully comprehending the importance of this life-saving measure, Health Minister Veena George said in a statement here.

CPR involves chest compressions (pushing hard and fast on the centre of the chest) to maintain the blood flow to the brain and organs, alongside rescue breaths to provide air to the lungs. CPR may be initiated if a person is not breathing and he does not have a pulse.

Permanent facility

The Health department will prepare an action plan and modern mannequins would be used to demonstrate CPR. In medical colleges, a permanent CPR training facility will be set up with the help of Cardiology departments.

The Indian Medical Association and its member doctors will cooperate with the Health department in implementing the training programme. A standardised short video for training will be prepared and popularised.