As the country ushers in the Christmas holidays, former Davao City lawmaker Karlo Nograles on Sunday stressed the need to provide the city’s health centers and other public places with lifesaving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to better respond to incidents of heart attack in communities far from hospitals.
“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the Philippines, thus it is important that our health centers, and other public places like gyms and parks, are equipped with AEDs which are effective tools during heart-related emergencies,” Nograles said.
“Ngayong holiday season na at maraming handaan at napapalakas tayo ng kain, kailangan talaga na may sapat na gamit ang ating mga health center para makatugon sa kahit anong emergency. Buhay nakasalalay dito.”
According to Nograles, medical experts have emphasized how crucial CPR and AEDs are as a first response to increase the chances of survival of victims of cardiac arrest.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that ischemic heart disease—or the weakening of the heart due to reduced blood flow—was the leading cause of death in the country in 2023.
The PSA reported that 118,936 Filipinos died due to ischemic heart disease, which is equivalent to 18.9 percent of the 628,554 total deaths last year.
The former chair of the Civil Service Commission highlighted how AEDs “could spell the difference between life and death especially for Davaoeños who live in far-flung barangays.”
AEDs are portable devices used in tandem with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during cardiac arrest. These devices help counteract fibrillation, or rapid irregular contractions of the muscle fibers of the heart, and restore normal heartbeat by delivering a brief electric shock to the heart.
According to Nograles, medical experts have emphasized how crucial CPR and AEDs are as a first response to increase the chances of survival of victims of cardiac arrest.
Nograles likewise appealed to Davaoeños to look after their health during the holidays.
“Pwede naman natin i-enjoy ang mga paborito nating pagkain, pero huwag natin sobrahan, at huwag din nating kalimutan mag-exercise,” he said.
“The best Christmas present we can give our families is our time, so the better we take care of ourselves, the longer we can live for our loved ones.”
