Hyderabad doctors call for AEDs in public spaces, CPR training in schools

Doctors in Hyderabad are urging the government to equip public places with AEDs and introduce CPR and first-aid training in schools. They say early emergency response can save lives and prevent avoidable deaths during medical emergencies.

Hyderabad: The first few minutes of a medical emergency often decide how well a patient recovers. However, more often than not, by the time such patients are wheeled into a hospital’s emergency wing, the ‘golden window’ has closed.

To prevent these avoidable deaths, public health specialists in Hyderabad are advocating for public places to be made emergency-friendly for such patients and integrating basic emergency medical training into school curriculum.

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For several years, Dr B Vijaya Rao, senior emergency cardiac resuscitation specialist from Hyderabad, has been pushing the State government to equip high-traffic public zones in Hyderabad, like the metro, railway stations, and bus terminals like JBS and MGBS, to handle cardiac emergencies.

“There is a dire need for our public spaces to be equipped with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), in addition to ensuring there are trained individuals who can handle these devices. Prompt administration of CPR and AED within five to six minutes of a cardiac arrest improves chances of survival of patients by 80 per cent. Why can’t we have such life-saving equipment in public spaces?” asks Dr Vijaya Rao, the US-trained master instructor in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS).

Expanding on this vision of community empowerment, senior pediatrician from Hyderabad, Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, has launched a campaign, urging the State government to include CPR and first-aid choking, seizures, fainting, fever, diarrhoea, nose bleed, etc in the school syllabus from class 7.

In most emergencies, bystanders have less than 4 minutes to act, yet over 90 per cent of people do not know CPR or basic first aid. In India, thousands of children lose their lives every year because help does not arrive in time, Dr Sivaranjani points out.

“Students above 12 years can easily learn CPR, choking response, seizure first aid, and emergency skills. Schools are where children spend most of their day, making school-based training essential. I request the State government to include a mandatory first-aid and emergency response module in schools,” she said.

What should be done?

• Public spaces in Hyderabad should be made cardiac-responsive
• RTC, railway and other public spaces must be equipped with AEDs
• First Aid and Emergency Response should be made part of school syllabus

What can be taught in schools?

• CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) for cardiac emergencies
• Choking-response techniques (Heimlich maneuver, back blows)
• First aid for seizures (protecting airway, preventing injury, identifying warning signs)
• Basic drowning response & rescue awareness
• Emergency preparedness for teachers, staff, and students
• Creating school environments where quick lifesaving action is possible