HYDERABAD: With cardiac arrests claiming 1.2 million lives in India annually, and the growing concerns at this steep rise, the country’s first resuscitation academy has been established at EMRI green health services (GHS) here on Thursday.
The academy aims to improve survival rates through better training, awareness, and emergency response strategies. It joins a global network of 30 similar academies dedicated to resuscitation excellence.
Announcing the initiative, R.V. Karnan, commissioner of health & family welfare, spoke about the urgent need for structured emergency response systems. While Telangana has ambulance availability that is better than the national average, he stressed that survival rates can significantly improve if trauma care is provided within the golden hour — the critical period immediately after a cardiac event.
The state is setting up 100 trauma care centres with World Bank support and aims to improve its ambulance-to-population ratio, he pointed out.
Experts at the event pointed to a severe lack of CPR awareness in India, with only two per cent of the population trained in life-saving procedures. Bystander CPR, a key factor in saving lives during cardiac arrests, is rarely performed.
Towards this, the academy will promote widespread CPR training, particularly in educational institutions, and automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places.
The global resuscitation alliance (GRA) has partnered with the academy to implement the best of international practices.
The inaugural leadership workshop, attended by doctors from eminent institutions like NIMS, health officials, and emergency care experts, focused on adopting the ‘10 steps for improving cardiac arrest survival’, a globally recognised framework.
Meanwhile, faculty from Singapore, the US, and Denmark shared insights on pre-hospital emergency care. A CPR demonstration showcased life-saving techniques, while a CPR survivor from Nirmal town narrated his experience, underscoring the critical role of trained responders.
The resuscitation academy endeavours to increase the cardiac arrest survival rates 10 per cent by 2030 in targeted regions of India. Experts believe that by improving response times, increasing bystander intervention, and enhancing medical infrastructure, thousands of lives can be saved each year.
