London. A large number of retired British ex-Gorkha army personnel gathered in Aldershot, UK benefited by a session on CPR and Heimlich Maneuver. The global health and hygiene committee of Non-resident Nepali Association (NRNA) organized “Learn CPR, Save a Life” in Aldershot, near London that was participated by hundreds of people both in room and via live broadcast.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a performed on a person whose heart has suddenly stopped. CPR ensures blood supply is not interrupted to the brain and vital organs. Automated electrical defibrillator or AED is used if the heart continues to stop after five sets of 30 compression and two breaths. Heimlich Maneuver is performed on a person who has choked on a food or any substance that blocks his airway partially or completely.

The session was conducted by Dr. Sanjeeb Sapkota who is the certified instructor of CPR and AED; he is also the chair of the global committee on health of NRNA.

“When the heart stops beating on a person then the clock starts clicking on his life and we have extremely limited time to put our acts together,” Dr. Sapkota said. “That`s when a skilled person can intervene and perform CPR before the ambulance arrives,” he said to the room packed with people in the United Kingdom.

“First and foremost, the ambulance need to be called by dialing 999 in the UK the moment one finds a person doesn’t have a pulse or is unresponsive. While the experts are on the way, the skilled person should perform CPR so that the blood supply to the brain is provided to compensate the stopped heart. CPR involves 30 quality chest compression and 2 breaths according to the American Heart Association,” he said.

The members of ex-Gorkha community enthusiastically participated in the session. Questions they asked reflected their excitement in learning the skill:

“When a person coughs blood should we perform CPR?”, “When we call 999, they keep on asking questions and do not seem to be serious in dispatching ambulances”, “Should the CPR be performed right after a person falls down”, “What if the victim dies or injured while he is being helped. Will the helper be sued?”

“CPR in performed only if the victim’s heart stops to beat. Though the dispatcher asks a lot of questions they immediately send the ambulance the very moment you tell them the severity of the situation. The questions they ask are to gather more information on the victim so that the best treatment could be provided.”

Participants also gained knowledge on Heimlich procedure which is done when a person chokes on a food. “Choking could be partial or complete and could be fatal if the victim is not intervened on time,” said Dr. Sapkota while demonstrating the the procedure.

The president of NRN-UK Mr. Yog Kumar Phagami thanked the global health committee for coordinating the session and presented Dr. Sapkota with token of remembrance. “Today we gained valuable on how we can make a difference between life and death if we act on time and act perform properly,” said Mr. Phagami who has held certifications on CPR and AED himself.