Together we will build a Nation of Lifesavers
If you witness someone having a cardiac arrest, don’t be afraid
to act, especially since that person may be someone you know in a familiar
setting.
World Restart a Heart Day, 16 October, is a global initiative
from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) to raise
awareness of the effectiveness of bystander CPR and educate more people about
Hands-Only CPR.
Less than 5% of Indians are trained in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR). Heart disease is the leading cause of death in India.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in India. One in four deaths in
India is due to cardiovascular diseases.
According to the American Heart Association, CPR is an emergency
lifesaving procedure performed after the heart stops pumping blood. As a
subsidiary of the Association, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of India (HSFI)
has embarked on a movement to build a Nation of Lifesavers.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of India, in cooperation with
the ICATT foundation, SEMI, COVID India campaign, and others trained over 4,557
bystanders, volunteers, medical students, community healthcare workers,
doctors, police personnel, and nurses in CPR and first aid. This feat was
accomplished within a span of three days (24-26 September) at the
amega-training program organized in the district of Chitradurga, Karnataka.
Attendees were taught how to stop bleeding, stabilize fractures, approach and
assist an unconscious victim, recognize the early signs of stroke and heart
attack, and access timely health services, and hands-only CPR. These trainings
were delivered respecting all COVID safe practices and social distancing
guidelines.
In a first-of-its-kind event, all participants had access to
one-on-one high-quality manikins to practice CPR at the same time.
The 4,557 people trained will now be visiting 189 Gram
Panchayats in Chitradurga and aim to train more than 300,000 bystanders on
Hands-Only CPR during the second half of October 2021.
The rising cases of heart-related ailments even amongst
youngsters in these COVID times demand more such events to be held in various
parts of the country and can save precious lives.
Quotes
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Dr. Subroto Das, Padma Shri Awardee, Board Member of the Heart
and Stroke Foundation of India said, “CPR is a skill taught very commonly in
government, in Health, Road Safety and Disaster Management settings. Yet it has
not caught on the way it should outside of these settings. However, HSFI has
created just not ripples but a tectonic movement for CPR in India through this
training at Chitradurga – training 4,557 trainers at once is unheard of in
India, and HSFI achieved this. This now needs to be scaled up with other
districts taking it up.”
Dr. Naga Nischal, SEMI President (Karnataka), stated, “You can
save a life too! You don’t need to be a doctor, nurse, or healthcare
professional to save a life. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can perform CPR it is a
simple technique for anyone to save a life. In this era of work from home, more
lives could be saved from home by learning this simple skill.”
KS Naveen, Organising President at Sharana Samaskruthi, Utsava
said, “When every second counts, a trained layman can perform these
lifesaving skills that can make a difference between life and death.”
Dr. Shalini Nalwad, the Chairperson of ICATT Foundation, said, “A rising number of cardiac arrests are being seen in India as we are witnessing the urbanization of rural areas causing a change in lifestyle. We still need to teach CPR to more than 98% of Indians.”
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