In commemoration of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2022, Philips Foundation and the Singapore Heart Foundation are calling for members of the public to #BreakTheBias in bystander responses toward helping women during cardiac emergencies.
The number of preventable female cardiac-related fatalities remain high today. About 3,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in Singapore every year, with about one-third of the casualties being women.
Singaporean women are especially at risk as only 9% of those surveyed were aware that heart disease and stroke is the leading cause of death for women here.
How to #BreakTheBias for women cardiac emergencies
Members of the public can help this issue by raising awareness about the disparity in bystander responses toward performing CPR+AED on women during cardiac emergencies.
According to a survey being done, respondents were quoted to say that the reason they did not assist the women casualties was due to “the fear of being accused of molestation” Many also feared “inflicting injury on female cardiac arrest casualties.” These factors contribute to females being less likely to receive CPR+AED from a bystander during sudden cardiac arrest as compared to males.
Philips Foundation and the Singapore Heart Foundation to give out fully funded CPR+AED courses
A way that Philips Foundation and the Singapore Heart Foundation hope to intervene with this issue is to increase bystander confidence through education.
They will be giving out 500 fully-funded CPR+AED Certification Course (Blended Learning) slots worth $64.20 to members of the public, of which 168 will be made available on a first-come-first-served basis starting 8 March.
The class combines online theory and in-class practice to ensure individuals have a thorough understanding of CPR and AED for both male and female casualties.
Members of the public can take actionable steps to show their support to #BreakTheBias by training for bystander CPR+AED responses at the website here.
