Group calls for increased CPR awareness, training

Health officials say there were 228 overdose deaths from Jan. 1 through to early May, which, if the rate remains steady, would mean about 660 by the end of the year. (Shutterstock)

MANILA— The Philippine Heart Association (PHA) on Thursday called on the government to increase awareness and training on cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) as a way to save the lives of persons with heart disease.

During the launching of the infomercial dubbed “Gadget AED.PH” in Pasig City, Dr. Ronald Cuyco, chairperson of PHA advocacy campaign, said knowledge in CPR, accompanied by the use of AED, will increase the survival rate of persons experiencing a heart attack or stroke.

“It actually increases the survivality to 33 percent. If we institute this particular gadget on top of the CPR,” Cuyco said.

Cuyco added that they want people and policy makers to be familiar with the use of AED through the group’s information drive as a way to drum up support for the immediate passage of House Bill 5327 or the “Act Requiring the Placement of Defibrillators in Public Places.”

“So that later on, we can see the AEDs in different buildings, airports, malls, arenas or everywhere like in Japan and in other countries,” he added.

He said performing CPR and administering the AED on a person suffering from cardiac arrest is vital while waiting for a professional medical intervention.

He noted that the danger lies in the delay in the time of bringing the patient to the hospital before the emergency procedure is done.

Star power

At the launching, former actor and now Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez, who also graced the event, shared his advocacy on CPR training and awareness.

“It is only befitting that we equip ourselves with basic knowledge in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and basic knowledge on how to operate automated external defibrillator,” Gomez said.

To date, he said Ormoc City has acquired a total of 11 AEDs as part of their disaster preparation measure.

He added that he also directed village officials to pass ordinances that mandate hotels and resorts to ensure that their lifeguards have the knowledge of CPR.

He said the knowledge in CPR, coupled with a life-saving device can help a lot for their constituents during emergencies.

PHA president Dr. Nanette Rey thanked the Ormoc mayor for his support for the group’s the advocacy.

“We’re hoping that with his presence on our infomercial, it will give us a lot of mileage in spreading the need for AED and spreading also the need to learn CPR,” said Rey.

Spreading the word

Dr. Gloria Balboa, Department of Health (DOH) Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) director, said they are also encouraging other government agencies to take the lead in acquiring AEDs.

“We are discussing it also with the Department of Education. It really takes time because of the cost involved. And in government planning and budget should be done one year ahead,” Balboa said.

She said they are hopeful that by 2019 they can be able to acquire such gadgets.

The DOH is now preparing to partner with different private institutions like malls for the conduct of CPR and get support for the passage of the AED bill in Congress, Balboa said.