Nearly £2.5m to tackle Welsh cardiac arrest survival rates
Wales has one of the lowest survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Europe
Nearly £2.5million of Welsh Government money is going towards a programme aimed at improving Wales' survival rates for cardiac arrest.
It comes as figures show Wales has the lowest survival rate for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the UK, at 4.6%, and one of the lowest in Europe.
The funding over the next three years will enable Save a Life Cymru to provide training and raise awareness around cardiac arrests, and improve public access to defibrillators.
Chairman Professor Len Noakes says it's about the victims: "They have a family, they've got relatives, they have a life. That's all gone. If we learn a very basic technique, and CPR is a very basic technique, we can save them.
"As we have recently seen at Euro 2020, anyone can have a cardiac arrest. Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch and he owes his life to his team mates and the medical team who performed CPR and used a defibrillator to save his life.
"Not everyone will have a medical team close at hand when they have a cardiac arrest and therefore our aim at Save a Life Cymru is to inspire everyone in Wales to learn CPR and defibrillation skills to help save more lives."
Health minister Eluned Morgan said: "It is vital we educate people about what to do when someone suffers a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting. By raising awareness of the basic skills needed to carry out CPR and use a defibrillator, we can make a significant difference to survival rates.
"This funding will help communities to work with Save a Life Cymru and the Welsh Ambulance Service to improve the provision and maintenance of defibrillators and to improve the skills to help save lives.
"We are proud to be funding this programme, which will link with schools, local businesses, community and town councils, sports clubs and academies across Wales, and hope it will benefit future generations to come."