The actions of the Ministry of Health are aimed at reducing deaths from cardiac arrest, emphasizing the education of citizens, said the Minister, Michalis Damianos, at a press conference at the cultural center of the European University of Cyprus for World Heart Restart Day, noting that cardiac arrest it is one of the most frequent causes of death in Europe, with approximately 400.000 victims per year outside the hospital.
It can strike people of any age, without warning, survival remains below 10%, while in many cases it happens in front of witnesses, he noted. Corresponding research shows that if bystanders immediately start Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and use a defibrillator, the chance of survival can reach up to 90%. If no action is taken, the chance of survival decreases by 10% for every minute that passes, Mr. Damianou emphasized.
With the slogan "You can too..." the Ministry of Health, he said, is organizing the well-established Pan-Cypriot campaign "Heart Restart Week" with the aim of raising awareness and educating citizens to deal with sudden cardiac arrest, as the first minutes are critical for the survival of the victims.
We train citizens to save lives, teaching them CPR techniques and the use of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED), he said and referred to the actions of the Ministry.
Since the beginning of this year, he said, more than 2.000 teachers have been trained, in Primary, Secondary and Technical education. "The goal is to ensure safety in schools, but also the proper training of teachers to be able to teach the First Aid course to Secondary and Technical education students. By educating all the students, all the citizens of tomorrow are educated and the appropriate culture is built which will be the main component for raising awareness about the issues of cardiac arrest."
Referring to the “TourForLife” program, he said that the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the non-profit organization Spiritus Invictus Foundation, developed this program, which provides free training and defibrillators to citizens of remote communities.
Regarding the Public Access Defibrillators program, he stated that it concerns the installation of 24-hour access defibrillators in an outdoor area. They are placed in specially designed boxes and are accessible to all citizens 24 hours a day, for use in the event of a cardiac arrest. The program is supported by the organization Spiritus Invictus, with the donation of the defibrillators, as well as the Bank of Cyprus and SupportCy.
For the "For the Heart of Sports" campaign, the Minister of Health said that the Resuscitation Services of the Ministry of Health, OPAP, the Cyprus Olympic Committee, the Federations of team sports and all the players in sports are making every effort to inform all Athletes and team members, in "Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, the use of the Automated External Defibrillator and the treatment of drowning".
The work of the Ministry of Health in terms of the prevention and treatment of cardiac arrests is multidimensional and its implementation is based on the close collaborations it maintains with all the agencies involved, for which we are particularly grateful, noted Mr. Damianou.
