India's CPR Revolution: How 6 Lakh Citizens Learned Life-Saving Skills

Extensive physical training sessions on Compression-only CPR were organised across India by State and UT health departments, Central Government Hospitals, AIIMS, INIs, the Indian Red Cross Society, and professional bodies, training a total of 6,06,374 participants.

The initiative aimed to sensitise citizens about the importance of early bystander intervention during cardiac arrest and other medical emergencies.

Despite CPR's proven life-saving potential, India's bystander CPR rates remain lower than global standards. Through this week-long initiative, the Ministry sought to bridge this gap by promoting widespread CPR training, awareness, and behavioural readiness across diverse population groups.

The objectives of the CPR Awareness Week were to enhance public awareness on the importance of CPR as a critical life-saving measure, provide practical training and demonstrations through diverse stakeholders, encourage youth participation in volunteerism and community preparedness, and utilise digital platforms to achieve wide-ranging public outreach and engagement.

The initiative was implemented through the coordinated efforts of multiple stakeholders across the country. State and Union Territory Health and Medical Education Departments played a crucial role in organising field-level training and awareness activities.

Central Government Ministries/Departments/Organisations, such as those of Home Affairs, Defence, Labour & Employment, Youth Affairs, Sports, Electronics and Information Technology, Higher Education, School Education & Literacy, Railways, Health Research and NDMA, extended decentralised outreach to diverse sections of society.

Central Government Hospitals, AIIMS, Institutes of National Importance and autonomous institutions under the Ministry actively conducted training and awareness sessions. The Indian Red Cross Society mobilised its State, Union Territory, and District sub-centres for community-based CPR training. Professional bodies also conducted training and awareness programmes through their State Chapters. Digital outreach and youth engagement were further strengthened through the MyGov platform of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and the MyBharat platform of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.

A series of activities was organised throughout the week to ensure widespread participation and awareness generation. A total of 14,701 participants joined the inaugural live pledge and CPR demonstration event through the ECHO platform and YouTube Live. Citizens were also encouraged to take a digital pledge through the MyGov platform, with 79,870 individuals pledging their commitment to CPR awareness.

A panel discussion on "CPR Techniques and the Role of Bystanders" was conducted with participation from six experts representing AIIMS New Delhi, Dr. RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, and SGT Medical College. The session, moderated by the Deputy Director General, Disaster Management Cell, witnessed participation from 10,129 attendees through ECHO and YouTube Live. Participants were also given a live demonstration on CPR and the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED).

At Nirman Bhawan, CPR training sessions were held for Central Government employees, CISF personnel, housekeeping staff, and officials from various Ministries, benefiting 264 participants. On 16th October, a special training session was also conducted for 70 officials of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

To engage citizens digitally, a CPR Quiz was hosted on the MyGov and MyBharat platforms, in which 36,040 participants took part. Additionally, through the Volunteer for Bharat initiative, 368 youths actively volunteered to promote CPR awareness during the week.

A range of social media and digital activities were undertaken in association with the Media Cell of the Ministry. An educational video on CPR developed and hosted on the Ministry's YouTube channel as a standardized educational resource for States and UTs.

Expert interviews in both English and Hindi were disseminated through the Ministry's social media handles, highlighting the technical aspects and public relevance of CPR. Other IEC materials and event promotions generated extensive online viewership across all digital platforms.

In addition, the live demonstration of CPR by experts in the presence of the Secretary (Health) on 13th October was covered by multiple news agencies, including Doordarshan. A special feature titled "Total Health - Medical Emergency" was broadcast on DD News on 19th October, showcasing live demonstrations of compression-only CPR, with experts from AIIMS, New Delhi, participating as panellists.

Overall, through these multifaceted activities, over 7,47,000 citizens were engaged during the CPR Awareness Week, and physical training was imparted to more than 6,06,374 participants across the country.

- ANI