As Parliamentarians heatedly debate and press their point in the impassioned, Mediterranean way, soaring stress levels are quite inevitable.

In turn, stress may cause heart problems.

But now, Maltese MPs can put their mind to rest that they will be attended to in a matter of seconds if they ever suffer a heart attack in Parliament.

Members of Parliament and other employees working within the institution have just completed a certified training course in basic life support and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), a device donated by Nationalist MP and cardiologist Albert Fenech on behalf of the Malta Heart Foundation.

During the training sessions it was revealed that sudden cardiac arrest accounts for more than 63 per cent of all cardiac deaths and the only effective treatment is defibrillation.

An AED is a portable device that can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore its normal rhythm.

The training sessions were held in one of the committee rooms at The Palace, Valletta.

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