The Entire Society Should Learn First Aid, Says Ambulance Service Director

The Hungarian National Ambulance Service is launching a program to expand the population’s first aid knowledge, establish a national network of instructors, develop modern educational materials, and organize first aid and life-saving training courses based on international and domestic professional recommendations within the framework of the II. Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Program.

Gábor Csató, the director general of the ambulance service, said that the primary goal of the program is to develop people’s first aid skills, since in the event of sudden cardiac arrest, every second counts. That is why, he continued, it is extremely important that first aid is not just a privileged, special science known to few, but knowledge and practice accessible to every Hungarian.

He added that

the ambulance service has always been committed to quick and efficient life saving, but in order to actually give those in trouble a chance, the entire society must be involved.

With the support of the Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Program, they want to build a national network that allows everyone to know what to do in an emergency. During the project, the educational network will be raised to a national level, modern, interactive tools will be used to support learning, and life-saving equipment will be provided. Gábor Csató stated that the long-term goal is to integrate first aid knowledge into education and workplace training, so that every citizen knows that helping is not only an opportunity, but also an obligation.

During the program, 3,280 people, including teachers, postmen, health workers, and civic guards, will receive training, who will then pass on the acquired knowledge. Another goal is to increase the willingness of the population to help, and in addition, more than 500 defibrillators will be placed in various parts of the country, and an awareness campaign will be launched, he explained.

Jean-Francois Paroz, Swiss Ambassador to Hungary, spoke, among other things, about the aim of the program: to develop the skills necessary for life-saving. Citing a Swiss study, he said that every second person would dare to provide help in an emergency, which can often be attributed to a lack of knowledge. He added that the development of life-saving skills is particularly important in regions where access to emergency care is limited.

Szabolcs Ágostházy, State Secretary for EU Development Projects, emphasized that the Swiss contribution is a particularly important cooperation in Hungary, within the framework of which the Swiss Confederation provides a contribution of 87.5 million Swiss francs (90 million euros). This together with the Hungarian state’s contribution provides funds worth approximately 42 billion forints (105 million euros) for the implementation of programs.

He said that

ten support measures will be implemented within the framework of the Swiss-Hungarian cooperation from improving water quality to developing vocational training to supporting micro-enterprises.

Szabolcs Ágostházy stated that within the framework of the second Swiss-Hungarian cooperation agreement signed at the end of 2022, 3.4 billion forints (8.5 million euros) will be provided for the first aid skills development project.

Péter Takács, State Secretary for Health at the Ministry of the Interior, explained that the leading cause of death in Hungary is cardiovascular disease, with 60-70 thousand people losing their lives every year, of which sudden cardiac death “stands out”, occurring in a third of cases. The latter is difficult to treat, as it occurs in most cases outside of hospital settings, and there is no guarantee that the person concerned will receive professional help within the critical time.

The current situation of Hungarian and Swiss first aid will be presented at the conference entitled Your life is my concern (Szívügyem az életed), and the role of education and society will also be discussed.

Via MTI; Featured picture: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán