TIM eMagazine Vol . 3 Issue 6
PHA officials and DOH representatives with Richard Gomez
Credits : Teddy Pelaez
CPR gadget to save seafarers at sea
By : Susan Amoroso
I n this age of gadgets and techno-savvy mariners , how many of Filipino seafarers know how to conduct hands-on CPR or cardio-pulmonary resuscitation techniques ? Or are our sea vessels equipped with a CPR gadget called AED , short for automated external defibrillator ?
In the light of these concerns , the Philippine Heart Association ( PHA ), an association of cardiologists in the country recently launched two very powerful infomercials promoting hands-on CPR and AED in cooperation with the Department of Health with Ormoc Mayor Richard as AED ’ s celebrity endorser .
The AED as a first-aid CPR gadget is a life saving device that increases a cardiac arrest or a drowning victim ’ s chances of survival by 33 percent . The infomercials were launched to increase public awareness of CPR and AED .
Nannette Rey , a cardiologist and PHA president said saving the life of a cardiac arrest or a drowning victim is crucial in the first few minutes of the victim ’ s life after the incident . Knowledge and training of hands-on CPR and the availability of an AED improves the survival rate of the victims dramatically .
The country deploys 400,000 seafarers all over the globe and being an archipelago with 7,100 islands , the country is surrounded by bodies of water . Drowning can occur where there are bodies of water surrounding the islands , not discounting swimming pools in resorts , condominium buildings and other water sport areas . Knowledge and right techniques of doing hands-on CPR and the availability of a life saving device such as the AED are a must , according to PHA and the DOH .
The ` infomercial titled Gadget AEd . Ph ,’’ is a tutorial video on CPR and AED that features Gomez and Dr . Alex Junia , adviser of the CPR Ready Philippines 2021 doing the demo . The ``Dear Nanay ’’ video dramatizes the depressing state of Paolo , a young boy who loses his mother to cardiac arrest before the advent of the AED . Dr . Gloria Balboa , DoH head of the Health Emergency Management Bureau
( HEMB } said that the goal of the government is to train at least one member of every Filipino family on how
Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez
Credits : Teddy Pelaez
to conduct hands-on CPR or at least 20 million Filipino trained on hands-on CPR in four years ’ time , from 2018 to 2022 . The DOH is implementing this program with the help of LGUs , the PHA , the Red Cross and other government agencies .
Balboa said that HEMB is very much willing to work with government agencies such as MARINA to ensure a CPR / AED ready and aware Philippines . Balboa is optimistic the goal of a CPR Ready Philippines has a big push with the passing of Republic Act 10871 that stipulates that all K-12 students undergo CPR training before they graduate .
Last year House Bill 5327 known as the AED Bill was filed by Cong . Edward Maceda and Cong . Marvin `Yul ’ Servo Nieto . The Bill seeks to broaden the coverage of installation of the AED to include airports , public establishments , where considerable number of people may be gathered such as malls , hotels , public offices , to ensure victims of heart attacks in public places will be given adequate first -aid care .
Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez , a former national athlete and a fitness enthusiast staunchly supports CPR training and the presence of the AED in his city . Ormoc now has 11 units of AED installed in public areas . The City has trained 2000 lay people in CPR and passed an ordinance that require all resorts to have their lifeguards undergo CPR training . Other cities and provinces with the same CPR- AED advocacy includes Bataan , Vigan , and Laguna who purchased 35 AEDs to be installed in Laguna ’ s public places .
In 2015 , the PHA launched the CPR-Ready . Ph21 Campaign to bring CPR to every Filipino home , to make every community CPR Ready and to make the Philippines at par with its Asian and Western allies that were already CPR-Ready countries for years such as Sweden , Singapore , Japan , Malaysia , and Thailand .
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