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The National Board of Examinations in Medical Studies (NBEMS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has organised a nationwide awareness programme on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training on Thursday.
This comes after a rise in the number of deaths from cardiac arrests. “Lakhs of deaths in our country are due to cardiac arrest or heart attack. Many of these deaths are due to lack of timely medical assistance,” the health ministry said in a press release.
According to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deaths due to cardiac arrests saw a 12.5 per cent rise, from 28,413 in 2021 to 32,457 in 2022. The NCRB data also put the figure of sudden deaths at 56,450 for 2022, up from 50,734 in 2021.
During the training programme, more than a million participants from medical colleges, dental colleges and NBEMS accredited hospitals are expected to be given training about CPR in a single sitting across the country.
“Citizens including students, professionals, and paramedical staff will be given basic knowledge of CPR through the online medium. Trained doctors will be posted at 1,165 venues to explain CPR techniques,” according to the press statement.
Private institutions such as Tata Consultation Services and ALLEN Career Institute, Kota, will also take part in the training programme.
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Speaking on the importance of CPR training, Abhijat Sheth, President, NBEMS, said that many lives can be saved if a patient having cardiac arrest receives proper first aid in time, even before reaching a hospital.
“CPR trained first responders will contribute immensely to saving precious lives, as external cardiac compression can help the heart to pump in transporting blood to vital organs until specialist treatment is available,” he added.
