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Last September, the Welsh Government spent half a million pounds to improve community access to potentially-life saving heart defibrillators.
Now, it has announced a further £500,000 will be spent on the scheme to coincide with Defibruary – an annual month-long defibrillator awareness campaign held every February.
The funding will be used to help places like community groups, sports grounds and public organisations to access a defibrillator.
The previous funding saw more than 400 applications for defibrillators approved, including from local and town councils, residents’ associations, gyms, schools, sporting venues, childcare venues and places of worship.
Currently, there are 6,188 public access defibrillators in Wales registered with the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust and the Circuit – which is a national defibrillator network.
Defibrillators usually cost around £1,300.
Every year, around 6,000 people suffer sudden cardiac arrest in Wales.
What is a cardiac arrest?
Someone experiencing a cardiac arrest will collapse suddenly. They will be unconscious and unresponsive.
Their breathing will also be affected, with some people not breathing at all during a cardiac arrest.
A cardiac arrest often happens without warning.
Without immediate treatment or medical attention, someone experiencing a cardiac arrest will die.
A patient’s chance of surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest decreases by an estimated 10% with every passing minute.
If you see someone having a cardiac arrest, call 999 immediately and start performing CPR on them.
During the EURO 2020 football match between Denmark and Finland in June, Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed to the floor after suffering a cardiac arrest.
He was swiftly treated on the pitch with a defibrillator – which saved his life.
Wales’ Health Minister, Eluned Morgan, said she is “committed to raising awareness of lifesaving skills and ensuring better community access to defibrillators across Wales.”
Mrs Morgan continued: “It’s important we have a comprehensive network of defibrillators, people are aware of that network and have the confidence to use them. The work of Save a Life Cymru will help support this.
“Every second counts when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. We can all help raise awareness of the importance of early CPR and defibrillation.”
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