SAMAL, Bataan — The Philippine Heart Association (PHA) on Wednesday conducted a Hands Only Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training among 600 high school students here in coordination with the municipal health office.
Dr. Orlando Bugarin, a prominent cardiologist and PHA national vice president, led the training at the Samal Municipal High School in the upland village of Gugo.
“Target namin kasama ang DOH at Red Cross ay magkaroon ng isang miembro ang bawat pamilya na marunong ng CPR. Karaniwang nangyayari ang cardiac arrest sa bahay o workplace,” he said.
He said that Hands Only CPR training for awareness campaign is one of the advocacies of their organization.
“Ito ay ginagawang advocacy ng PHA. Tinuturuan natin ang mga pangkaraniwang tao na gumawa ng CPR bilang pagsalba sa mga taong may cardiac arrest gamit ang kamay lamang,” Bugarin said.
He noted that the CPR training before was more in the use of mouth-to-mouth method but ordinary people found this hard to learn unlike the new technique that uses hands compressed to the breast.
Part of the training was teaching the students how to detect if a victim really was suffering from cardiac arrest and the first thing to do in such a situation.
Another advocacy of PHA in coordination with Samal municipal government under Mayor Aida Macalinao, Bugarin said, is the use of Automated External Defibrillator (AED), a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation.
“Paglalagay ng AED sa strategic location para kung kailangan magamit ng ating mga kababayan. CPR saka AED na kapag pinagsama natin tumataas ang pag-asa o chance na ma-revive ang pasyente na nagka-cardiac arrest,” the cardiologist said.
He said that in Samal, they have already conducted the training at the Vila Bernardino Resort in Barangay San Juan with rescue workers and barangay leaders being the first responders.
Resort owner former Samal vice mayor Emilio “Memeng” Medina and MHO Dr. Cristina Espino are very supportive of the project.
“Ginagawa na ito sa buong Pilipinas noon pang 2017 at nitong February 8 angsimula ng tinatawag na Heart Month sa Pilar na tulad din ng Samal ay nais na magkaroon ng titulong CPR-ready municipality,” Bugarin said.
They are targeting the training of Grade 5 school children and above.
He said that Balanga City was their first awardee as CPR-ready City.
“Sana buong Bataan maging CPR-ready province,” he said. He said that as an advocacy of PHA, the seminar is free.
