LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday launched the ‘Lifesavers Initiative’ at the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU).

The programme aims at equipping university and college students with essential life-saving skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and bleeding control.

Emergency Services Department Secretary Dr Rizwan Naseer said the initiative was launched to mark the World First Aid Week and to encourage the youth of Punjab’s colleges and universities to learn vital life-saving skills. He said the goal is to create a nation of lifesavers by ensuring there is a first aider in every home.

LCWU Vice Chancellor Uzma Qureshi said that students and teachers should take the programme seriously. She said that thousands of students were trained as lifesavers by Rescue 1122 during an intensive three-day training session.

She also expressed her gratitude to the Community Safety Wing for their dedication to the training.

The Lifesavers Initiative will see Rescue 1122 providing life-saving skills training to students across Punjab’s universities and colleges.

Punjab Minister for Health and Emergency Services, Khwaja Salman Rafique and Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat, also addressed the event. The ministers announced plans to expand the programme to all educational institutions in the province.

Earlier in the day, LCWU students who had been trained as lifesavers showcased their newly acquired skills, including CPR and bleeding control, in a demonstration. The newly trained students pledged to spread the life-saving campaign among their peers.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2024