Wendy WilliamsCARDIAC arrest victims will benefit from plans to put defibrillators similar to those used to save footballer Fabrice Muamba in key public places around Gibraltar.
The scheme is aimed at providing rapid assistance to victims who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest away from hospital.
Currently over 90 per cent of the cases on the Rock result in death.
Public Access Defibrillators – designed for easy use without any training – will be placed in locations including the Piazza, Victoria Stadium complex and St Michael’s Cave.
In total, nine places around the enclave will have the kits installed.
It follows the recent high-profile case of Bolton Wanderers footballer Muamba, who received life-saving treatment on the pitch from medics using a defibrillator.
Less than five per cent of people who suffer a cardiac arrest survive without the use of a defibrillator, compared to 70 per cent who have access to one within five minutes.
Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating and requires immediate medical attention, with the chances of survival decreasing by 10 per cent for each minute the victim goes untreated.
