More than 2 million people trained in CPR over two months to save lives

As heart disease is the leading cause of death in India, the government of India has initiated a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) program to give people training to save crucial hours of life. In two months, more than two million people have been trained in CPR.
“We have trained more than 2 million people for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR in the country. It’s country’s movement. All the states and local organisations are doing this. Forty per cent cardiac deaths can be prevented by this training,” said Dr Abhijat Sheth, president, National Board of Examinations In Medical Sciences (NBEMS).
CPR stands for “Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation,” which means that we use a special technique to press the heart muscles to save a person before the person is taken to the hospital.
The Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a life-saving technique that can be performed by anyone who has received proper training.
Trained personnel can act quickly and confidently in an emergency situation, and potentially save a life.
Inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and as a commitment towards society, NBEMS organized a CPR Awareness Programme on December 6, 2023 which became a national movement.
Mentioning the past experience when former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam died due to cardiac arrest and due to lack of awareness about CPR among people around him, Dr Rakesh Sharma, OSD to President (NBEMS) said, “The dire need of CPR training programme across the country was emphasized. It was especially mentioned how former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam suffered a cardiac arrest while delivering a speech at IIM Shillong and collapsed, leading to his death. Nobody in the hall was able to provide the CPR at that time due to lack of awareness and training.”
“The NBEMS has been running a comprehensive campaign on social values and health awareness. As a part of this, NBEMS has organised a National Level CPR awareness programme on December 6, 2023 where about 20 lakh participants from all over India, coming from various backgrounds like medical professionals, students, other professionals, common citizens had participated,” he said.
Dr Rakesh further explained how CPR has become a national movement.
“This was a low-cost model for a national cause wherein Sir Ganga Ram hospital provided their services voluntarily. Thousands of hospitals and medical staff offered their services and now this has become a national movement,” he said