More than 300 policemen in neighbouring Howrah district have been trained to effectively manage medical emergencies during Durga Puja celebrations.
"This training program for the police officials is our key step towards crisis preparedness before the festival season kick-starts," Howrah police commissioner Ajey Mukund Ranade said in a release.
Organised by Westbank Narayana Heart Centre, the three-week-long cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) workshop trained more than 300 cops in administering basic life support along with the correct techniques to check pulse and heart rate.
Deepak Venugopalan, Zonal Director (East) of Narayana Health, said police supervising the pandals is the first point in contact for the public in-case of an emergency and it is critical to train them in life support skills.
"We have seen that in most cases, administering first aid and CPR during a medical emergency has proved to be the most important step in saving a life," he said.
