1-Day course on IAP- Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers

Ludhiana, July 21, 2022: The Department of Pediatrics, Christian Medical College and Hospital Ludhiana had organized a one-day course on IAP- Basic Life support (BLS) for Health care providers in collaboration with the Indian Academy of Pediatrics under the auspices of Punjab Medical Council on Thursday. Doctors from across the state had participated and were trained on how to resuscitate a victim of cardiac arrest of all age groups individually and in a team setting. This course also taught them the skill to recognize emergencies such as sudden cardiac arrest and know how to respond to them. 

According to the statistics given by ICMR, less than two per cent of the Indian population are aware of Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). About 4,280 people per 1 lakh population are getting cardiac arrest per year in the country. Every minute 112 people are succumbing to cardiac arrest. We do not have a robust emergency medical system and ambulances can’t reach in the first three minutes, when CPR can be life-saving. 

Dr. William Bhatti, Director, CMCL presided as the guest of Honour. Dr. Jeyraj Pandian, Principal, CMCL; Dr. Harinder Singh, Vice President, North Zone IAP; Dr. Harpreet Singh, Executive member of Central IAP, Dr. Karamvir Goyal, PMC Member; Dr. Vibhu Narad, President, Ludhiana Academy of Pediatrics and Dr. Sukhmeet Singh Sethi, Course Director were also present at the inaugural function to grace the occasion. The training was conducted by the distinguished faculty with extensive experience.

The Department of Pediatrics has also applied for accreditation by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics as the CPR training centre. Through this accreditation, the centre gains the potential to train more Health care professionals, under graduates (MBBS & BDS), nurses and paramedics and save lives.

According to an Indian study, about 70 per cent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at home and 90 per cent of those who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die. If CPR is started within 3 minutes of cardiac arrest and defibrillation is provided within 06 min, a person has a 40% chance of survival. Hence, widespread community awareness and education on CPR, community participation, widespread placement of AED, training of medical personnel, enhancing emergency transport and advanced care facilities play pivotal roles”, said Dr. Prof Gurmeet Kaur, Head of Department (Pediatrics).