Mandaue City expands CPR training

Local

MANDAUE City aims to have at least one person trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in every household as it expands community-based training on the lifesaving procedure.

“We would as much as possible want to expand and engage everyone in the community to be trained,” City Health Office head Dr. Debra Maria Catulong said in an interview during the CPR training at the Barangay Opao Gym on Thursday, Aug. 27.

Catulong said the city health office will continue conducting basic life support and first-aid training to reach more residents, including those without medical backgrounds.

She said CPR training should extend beyond health workers and emergency responders to schools, barangays and households because emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time.

Around 300 participants from 27 barangays joined the Sagip CPR training workshop, including city and barangay personnel, barangay health workers, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and their caregivers, health professionals, University of Cebu-Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) students, members of the Philippine Disability Affairs Office and police representatives.

Catulong said CPR is not limited to healthcare workers and that ordinary residents can learn the procedure and provide immediate assistance during a cardiac emergency.

“CPR is not just a medical skill, it is a lifesaving skill,” she said.

She said every second matters when a person is unconscious, not breathing or has no pulse, making immediate CPR important before professional medical assistance arrives.

The city health office plans to continue training sessions in communities as it works toward its goal of having at least one CPR-trained person in every household.

The Mandaue training was led by Dr. Michael Adones Dumaguin of the Philippine College of Occupational Medicine and former president of the Cebu Medical Society, together with Dr. Danny Yu of the Philippine Society of Nephrology.

Participants learned how to respond to cardiac arrest, including emergencies following drowning.

They practiced hands-only CPR and proper chest compressions, while Dumaguin demonstrated the recommended rhythm using the beat of “Stayin’ Alive,” at about 100 beats per minute.

PWDs and their caregivers were among those trained, alongside students and representatives from various city and barangay sectors, reflecting the campaign’s effort to bring CPR knowledge beyond medical personnel.(MyTVCebu)