NEW DELHI: A doctor is not always available to handle a critical situation that a person may be facing. If someone has a sudden cardiac arrest, perhaps you could perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or if you see someone injured in a road accident, perhaps providing first aid could improve the chances of survival of the victim.

Safdarjung Hospital has started a specialized centre at its new Emergency Block to impart such skills to everyone at large. Doctors will initially train the staff, including officials and sanitation workers, and then common citizens will be involved in the training programme.

Dr Veer Bhushan, additional MS in charge of the emergency block, said that a team from the anesthesia department will teach people how to perform CPR, using mannequins. He mentioned that over 100 staff members have already undergone the training.

Effective CPR by a bystander can increase a victim’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest by two-fold; however, doctors say that less than 1% of Indians know how to perform CPR.

Currently, about 9 of every 10 people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside the hospital end up dying. CPR can; however, help improve these odds. Dr Aparna Jaswal, senior cardiologist at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, said that CPR performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest can double, or even triple, a person’s chances of survival. She added that CPR training should be given as early as in school, and it should be ensured that the residents’ welfare associations are equipped to perform this life-saving exercise. (TNN)