A Basic Life Support (BLS) training session was held at Bhowanipore Global Campus, located on B.L. Shah Road in Kolkata, attended by over 120 students. The interactive session aimed to teach young participants vital lifesaving skills and raise awareness about the critical need for prompt action in cardiac and other medical emergencies.

The training taught students the basics of responding to emergencies, such as identifying signs of a cardiac event, calling for immediate medical aid, and starting basic life-saving actions until help arrives. This awareness can be crucial in increasing the likelihood of timely intervention during the critical first few minutes of an emergency.

Following the BLS session, Dr. Joy Saibal Shome, Senior Consultant in Cardiology and Head of TAVR/ TAVI, delivered a talk on health awareness, emphasizing the increasing significance of preventive care, cardiovascular wellness, and early identification of lifestyle-related health risks in young individuals.

Dr Joy Saibal Shome said, “Cardiovascular health is shaped by our habits and health decisions far earlier than we usually realize. Preventive healthcare involves more than just getting medical tests once a problem arises; it also means understanding risk factors, staying physically active, eating with awareness, and catching warning signs early. Meanwhile, having basic life-support skills can enable a bystander to react appropriately in a medical emergency. Fostering this awareness in young people can contribute to a community that is more health-conscious and better prepared for emergencies”.

The session also emphasized the need to foster a culture of health awareness among young adults, especially as sedentary lifestyles, stress, poor eating habits, and other changeable risk factors are growing in relevance to cardiovascular and metabolic health.

The initiative integrated two key elements of community health: readiness to respond to emergencies and proactive measures to prevent health issues from worsening. The session sought to promote informed and responsible health behaviors in young people by teaching them fundamental emergency response skills and preventive health practices.

Priyanka Dutta