Alarming Surge in Heart Attacks Among Youth in Gujarat
Written by Arushi Sharma
Gujarat faces a worrying trend - a surge in heart attack deaths, with 80% victims being young (11-25 years old). To tackle this, the state is training 2 lakh teachers in CPR, a crucial lifesaving technique.
In the past six months, Gujarat has witnessed a concerning spike in heart attack deaths, with a total of 1,052 individuals succumbing to this medical emergency, according to state Education Minister Kuber Dindor.
What's particularly alarming is that 80% of these heart attack victims fall within the 11-25 age group, a revelation that has sparked significant concern among authorities.
Dindor addressed the media in Gandhinagar, stating, "As many as 1,052 persons have died due to heart attacks during the last six months in Gujarat. Nearly 80 per cent of them were in the age-group of 11 to 25 years, and these students and youngsters were not even obese." He emphasized that the 108 ambulance service receives 173 cardiac emergency calls per day, highlighting the urgency of addressing this health crisis.
In response to this growing concern, the state Education Department has unveiled a proactive initiative. Approximately two lakh school teachers and college professors will undergo training in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a vital lifesaving intervention during cardiac emergencies. Dindor stressed the need for teachers to be equipped with CPR skills, as many of the recent heart attack victims were youngsters participating in various activities like cricket or traditional dance.
"Youngsters are living in fear because a majority of the heart attack victims were in their age group. We have seen how people died (due to heart attack) while playing cricket or taking part in garba (a traditional dance form popular during Navratri festivities) in the last six or seven months. I urge teachers to take part in this CPR training camp so that they can save lives," the minister urged.
Under this initiative, CPR training camps will be conducted at 37 medical colleges between December 3 and 17, aiming to train nearly two lakh school and college teachers. The training sessions will involve the participation of 2,500 medical experts and doctors, with certificates awarded to the participants. Notably, a similar CPR training initiative was previously conducted for Bharatiya Janata Party workers and police personnel in the state.
This timely initiative seeks to empower educators with life-saving skills and addresses the pressing need for immediate intervention in cases of cardiac emergencies, especially among the younger population.