Basic CPR training will soon be a requirement in all schools
By Filane Mikee Z. Cervantes
Schools could soon be required to incorporate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in the basic education curriculum to “make lifesavers out of the youthâ€.
The CPR bill, which seeks to require students in public and private schools to undergo CPR training, is pending for signing into law by President Benigno Aquino III.
The subject bill will lapse into law on July 17 if not vetoed or acted upon by President Aquino whose term ends on June 30.
Philippine Heart Association (PHA) president Dr. Alex Junia, who has been lobbying for the approval of the said bill, said this will be a major leap toward their advocacy in making the Philippines CPR-ready.
â€The CPR will give every Juan dela Cruz, even children as young as eight years old, the confidence to resuscitate a cardiac arrest victim with the school as one of the best training grounds,†said Junia during the PHA health forum on Thursday at Annabel’s Restaurant in Quezon City.
He noted that the PHA, Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Red Cross (PRC), and the American Heart Association (AHA) will serve as the muscle and authority to propagate CPR training around the country.
CPR instructions shall include programs which have been developed by the PHA or PRC, he added.
The person (who is not a health professional) will be taught to revive a cardiac arrest victim by applying chest compressions or hands-only CPR on the victim.
The CPR bill was authored by Rep. Joseller “Yeng†Guiao of Pampanga in the House of Representatives, while its counterpart measure in the Senate was pushed by Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny†Angara.
The passage of the bill, also known as Samboy Lim bill, into law is a reminder that cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, including physically fit people like athletes.
Lim, a basketball legend in the ‘80s and ‘90s, suffered cardiac arrest during an exhibition game two years ago. He did not get CPR because no one among his colleagues at the Ynares Gym in Pasig City knew how to perform it.
He was rushed to a hospital and lay comatose for over a month. According to the doctors, his brain was deprived of oxygen for at least 23 minutes.
In order to prevent irreversible neurologic damage after cardiac arrest, the heart has to be revived within four minutes. (PNA)
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