The teaching of basic first aid may be introduced in the curriculum of secondary schools if a trial run, which will take place in a college in the near future, is a success.

This was announced following a meeting between Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and promoters of the Jumpstart My Heart campaign, run by the Malta Health Students’ Association (MHSA) in collaboration with Insite.

The campaign, which sought to teach members of the public how to conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), uncovered a lack of knowledge among the Maltese regarding the islands’ biggest killer – coronary heart disease.

The students also realised that the lack of knowledge regarding first aid was leading to a huge number of unnecessary deaths.

Following thorough research on the topic, the two organisations formulated and presented the minister with a document that includes basic information on how the heart works and how coronary heart disease develops and how to conduct basic first aid that could save the life of someone who has suffered a cardiac or respiratory arrest.

It also includes details on laws regarding the rights of first aiders and advice on how to prevent heart disease.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.