Sudden Cardiac Arrest: What will you do if the person next to you collapses?

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"What will you do if the person next to you collapses?" I asked attendees of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Awareness Drive at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (Gaborone).

As soon as I asked this question, I could see nervous smiles in the audience yearning for an answer from me.  Most of the times sudden collapse is due to SCA, a condition where electrical impulses of the heart become  rapid, chaotic and subsequently, this causes the heart to stop effective beating.

Blood supply to brain is reduced / stopped leading to unconsciousness. Over 90% of the SCA incidents happen at the workplace or home, and victims have absolutely no symptoms to indicate the onset of SCA. Less than 30% of these victims receive timely care.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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