By the summer of 2023, a defibrillator will be installed in every state-funded school in England, the government has said.
However, the government claims it wants to “fill the gaps” by sponsoring roughly 20,000 kits, even though many schools already have the equipment.
It comes after a campaign started by Oliver King’s parents. Oliver King passed away in 2011 after his heart stopped during a swimming session.
James Cleverly, the secretary of education, expressed his hope that the action “goes some way to preventing such terrible tragedies.”
Every school should have access to a defibrillator that might save a student’s life, he continued, and financing shouldn’t be a barrier.
Oliver King’s father, Mark King, said that following the 12-year-passing, old’s the family and its allies “worked with tenacity to make defibrillators necessary in all schools.”
If there had been a defibrillator on-site, he thinks his kid, who went to school in Liverpool, “would still be alive today.”
I’m thus thrilled that, after our ten-year battle, the government has finally listened and schools will now be furnished with them, Mr. King remarked.
Former football player and pundit Jamie Carragher, who supports the Oliver King Foundation, expressed his excitement at the government’s commitment to provide this life-saving equipment in all schools.
The tireless and unrelenting lobbying of Mark and Joanne King, who worked so hard to achieve this moment, is demonstrated by the good news.
To get the heart back to its regular beat, the gadgets provide a powerful electric shock.
According to a recent research, prompt defibrillator usage might improve survival rates, however defibrillators have been “disproportionately placed in more wealthy neighborhoods with a lower residential population density.”
Researchers suggested giving precedence for public defibrillators in areas with greater levels of impoverishment.
The amount of devices needed, which is predicted to be more than 20,000, will be determined by a survey that will be distributed to every school receiving state funding, according to a Department of Education spokesman.
The government pledged to provide money so that every location has at least one kit on hand. They also promised to support efforts to get first aid lessons included in the curriculum in schools.
After defibrillators were used to treat football players Fabrice Muamba and Christian Eriksen, who overcame on-field cardiac arrests in 2012 and 2021, respectively, there has been an increase in defibrillator availability in the UK.
