India’s First Resuscitation Academy Launched in Hyderabad
To improve emergency heart care in India, EMRI Green Health Services (EMRI GHS) has started the country’s first Resuscitation Academy in Hyderabad. This academy aims to train people in life-saving techniques and improve the chances of survival for heart attack victims.
At the launch event, Dr. GV Ramana Rao, Director of the Emergency Medicine Learning Centre (EMLC) & Research at EMRI, spoke about the importance of the academy. He explained that after pioneering the 108 emergency ambulance services, EMRI now wants to improve response times for heart-related emergencies. He stressed that India has a high number of sudden cardiac deaths, and better training can save more lives.
Strengthening Emergency Services
R.V. Karnan, Commissioner of Health & Family Welfare and CEO of Aarogyasri Trust, Telangana, highlighted the state’s efforts to improve emergency healthcare. Telangana currently has one ambulance for every 64,500 people, which is better than the national guideline of one per 100,000 people set by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The state plans to reduce this further to one ambulance per 50,000 people to ensure faster medical help.
Despite India reporting 1.2 million sudden cardiac arrests every year, very few people know about CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). Only 2% of people are aware of CPR, and bystanders rarely step in to help. The Resuscitation Academy aims to change this by offering specialized training in resuscitation techniques, similar to programs in 30 other countries.
Adopting Global Standards
The academy’s first leadership workshop took place at the EMRI GHS campus, with over 75 experts participating. These included doctors from NIMS, Apollo, and government health officials. The two-day event introduced the Global Resuscitation Alliance’s (GRA) 10-Step Strategy, a well-known method used worldwide to improve survival rates after cardiac arrests.
The goal of the academy is to increase the survival rate of cardiac arrest patients from the current 2% to 10% by 2030. By providing structured training and applying international best practices, Hyderabad is leading the way in improving emergency heart care across India.