The Uttar Pradesh government will be installing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in all government buildings, malls, and other public places, including the Uttar Pradesh Secretariat, for providing necessary first-aid to a patient in case of a cardiac arrest.

The initiative, to be launched on August 1 this year, has been given clearance by chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra.

In the first phase, the machine will be put up in Lok Bhavan, Indira Bhavan, Shakti Bhavan and the Secretariat Annexe.

A government spokesperson said that the AED or a shock machine, is to be placed near the patient’s heart for giving an immediate shock to the body which then helps the heart to start functioning, giving a person crucial additional time so that they can be taken to the nearest medical facility for treatment.

The machine, he said, delivers primary medical aid to the patient through electric shocks administered at two places near the patient’s heart.

“This medical intervention is more effective than CPR, which is performed manually on the chest during a cardiac arrest. All doctors within the Secretariat, including those from Allopathic, Homeopathic, and Ayurvedic streams, and administrators of all buildings have been trained for the operation and use of the machine. The facility will benefit officers, employees and visitors at the secretariat,” the official said.

The decision to provide such machines in the government offices and other public places was taken with sudden cardiac arrest resulting in approximately 7 lakh deaths annually in India.

“In emergency situations, people are unable to provide immediate assistance to a patient and by the time medical help reaches the patient, precious time is lost. Therefore, immediate assistance is crucial in such cases because the chances of survival for a victim decreases significantly if help is not provided within the first 3-5 minutes of a cardiac arrest,” the spokesman said. (IANS/NJ)