The FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, has flagged off the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Centre in the nation’s capital city as part of efforts to tackle the surge of cardiac arrest in the country.
On the occasion of the Bring Back to Life (BBL) programme organised by the Nigeria Cardiac Society, the minister performed the flag-off of the centre.
She said the landmark event aimed at training members of the community on actions to be taken in the event that someone nearby has a sudden cardiac arrest and also to install and maintain Public Access Defibrillators (PAD) in all public places with large human traffic.
According to Mahmoud, cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, stressing that the Federal Capital Territory Administration recognises the urgency of having a CPR centre, as it is committed to enhancing healthcare infrastructure and community capacity.
She explained, “Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique that doubles or triples survival rates in cardiac arrest cases, every minute counts in responding to cardiac emergencies. Empowering communities with CPR skills will ensure prompt response and increase chances of survival.”
The Minister lauded the efforts of the Nigeria Cardiac Society for its dedication and playing a leading role in the initiative, emphasising that the programme is a testament to effective public-private partnerships and is in line with the renewed hope agenda of the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The chairman of Bring Back to Life programme, Dr Akinyemi Aje, in his response, explained that about 89 per cent cases of cardiac arrest occurred outside the hospital, stressing the need for the establishment of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation centres in public places.
Aje further stated that very often, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is done incorrectly by the first responder while others present at the scene would rather record on their devices in order to post on social media than assist in salvaging the life of the victim.
He stated that some first responders such as family members, friends and by-standers at the scene may not even know what to do at such an occasion because they have little or no knowledge of CPR.
He said it is the reason why the Nigerian Cardiac Society (NCS), came up with the BBL project being launched, pointing out that the objective of taking CPR training to the grassroots so that Nigerians will know what to do when confronted with cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death.
He observed that the “slump and die” phenomenon has no respect for financial status, age, level of education or occupation, saying that it can occur at any place such as at home, work place, marketplace, motor park, in the hospital, in the plane, in an executive meeting, in a hotel, in the school, among others.
According to him, “slump and live” is achievable if people all work together to change their orientation.
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