Calls for defibrillators in public places
England and Liverpool football captain Steven Gerrard has joined leading doctors and other sporting stars who have signed a letter to the Prime Minister calling for the provision of defibrillators in all public buildings.
Leading health campaigners, including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the British Medical Association, joined by the likes of Gerrard, boxer Amir Khan and Tottenham player Gareth Bale, have signed a letter urging David Cameron to support legislation which will ensure the provision of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in the community.
An e-petition started by the Oliver King Foundation, named in memory of a 12-year-old boy who died from a sudden cardiac arrest while swimming at school in Liverpool, has gathered more than 100,000 signatures.
An approach will be made today to the Commons Backbench Business Committee to discuss the merits of having a parliamentary debate, calling for all public places including schools, leisure centres and football stadia to have an AED installed.
The letter, co-ordinated by Liverpool FC first team doctor Zafar Iqbal and London cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, states “as a group of charities, health campaigners and leading professionals from the fields of medicine and sport, we believe the measure would save thousands of lives”.
It is estimated that approximately 12-16 young people die each week, and around 30,000 people a year suffer a cardiac arrest outside hospital and are treated by emergency medical services.
Campaigners believe the single most influential factor in improving survival among this group is treatment with an early life-saving defibrillation shock from an AED. The whole nation and million of people across the world were moved by the events surrounding the miraculous survival of Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba, who has also signed the letter.
Effective cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation with an AED on the pitch were key factors in saving his life, campaigners said. They are not asking the Government to pay for AEDs but are calling for legislation to ensure that the devices are available in all public buildings in the same way fire extinguishers are.
Dr Iqbal, head of medical services at Liverpool Football Club, said: “In my view, just as we have access to a fire extinguisher in the event of a fire, AEDs should be immediately available if someone suffers a cardiac arrest.
“My wife used an AED to save my son’s life when he unfortunately suffered a cardiac arrest. The Oliver King foundation deserve tremendous praise by ensuring the provision of an AED in every primary school in Liverpool. AEDs should be widely available to many more. I know that if I had a cardiac arrest, the one thing I hope someone would have access to is an AED.”
Caption: Steven Gerrard is backing calls for defibrillators in public buildings
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