FROM LEFT: Dr. Edward Chung, chairman of the National Resuscitation Council of Jamaica; Dr. Lambert Innis, consultant anaesthetist; John Junor, Minister of Health; Deborah Chen, executive director, Heart Foundation of Jamaica and Dr. Marion Bullock-DuCasse, director, Emergency Disaster Management and Special Services, Ministry of Health, share a joke during yesterday's launch of the National Resuscitation Council of Jamaica at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
AN ADMINISTRATIVE body to regulate and standardise emergency cardiac care (ECC) training in Jamaica was launched yesterday during a brief ceremony at the Knutsford Court Hotel, St. Andrew. Emergency cardiac care includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), that is, action to revive a person in cardiac or respiratory problems, and first aid.
The body, the National Resuscitation Council of Jamaica (NRC), will also
regulate and standardise what is described as the chain of survival - all the actions taken from the time a patient with heart problems collapses, to his transport to the hospital's emergency room and his recovery. These actions include:
Early recognition of the patient's health condition.
Early access to care.
Early CPR.
Early defibrillation - administration of electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm.
Early advanced care.
Early rehabilitation.
The formation of this council means that all individuals and organisations offering ECC training will be required to register with
the body.
Dr. Edward Chung, NRC's chairman, said at the launch that the establishment of the regulatory body is in response to worldwide calls, especially from the Inter-American Heart Foundation, for improvement in the chain of survival. However, Dr. Marion Bullock-DuCasse, the Health Ministry's director, Emergency Disaster Management and Special Services, in her address, also spoke of a slue of upgrades and developments in emergency medical care as part of the country's preparation and mandate as host of the Cricket World Cup 2007. She indicated that even though the upgrades were specific to the World Cup, they would be a legacy to Jamaica.
Cardiovascular diseases - conditions of the heart and blood vessels, including strokes - are the leading causes of death in Jamaica. Health Minister, John Junor, who officially launched the NRC, said that these diseases of the heart account for about 30 per cent of deaths each year.
WELCOME ADDITION
"The National Resuscitation Council is, therefore, a welcome addition to the bodies regulating health professionals and the training for health. It is filling a critical need within the sector for formalising and coordinating various aspects of emergency cardiac care. I join the call to encourage all organisations involved in CPR and first aid training to become active members of the NRC," he said.
The NRC was founded primarily through initiatives taken by the Heart Foundation of Jamaica to standardise cardiac care. Mr. Junor said that a $4 million grant from the National Health Fund will assist the Heart Foundation to purchase needed equipment as a boost for emergency cardiac care training in Jamaica.
