SUKKUR:A CPR Skills Workshop and Practical Competition was successfully organised at Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jeelani Institute of Medical Sciences (PAQSJIMS), GIMS Hospital Gambat on Thursday, to enhance life saving skills, clinical confidence and emergency response capabilities among medical and allied health sciences students.
Around 200 students of MBBS, BS Technology and BSN Nursing participated in the event.
The programme began with an informative lecture by Dr Bakhtiar Ahmed Bhanbhro, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, GIMS Hospital Gambat. He highlighted the importance of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), essential CPR protocols and its critical role in saving lives during cardiac emergencies.
The hands on training was facilitated by Medinostic Health Care (Pvt.) Ltd. Its Master Trainers, Hassaan Akhtar and Haziq Rashid, travelled from Karachi to Gambat to conduct the practical workshop. Their dedication and expertise were widely appreciated by the participants and faculty.
The event was held with the support and encouragement of the institutional leadership, including Director GIMS Dr Raheem Bux Bhatti, Registrar PAQSJIMS Prof Dr Shameem Bhatti, Principal College of Human Nutrition and BS Technology Dr Aslam Channa and Vice Principal Dr Umeedan Channa, Principal Nursing College Gambat Madam Iqra Solangi and Vice Principal Madam Shaista Sahito.
Faculty members including Dr Musadique Bhanbhro, Dr Inayatullah Ghunio, Dr Dua Shaikh and Dr Safia also attended the workshop.
An exciting practical competition was also organised among students from different academic institutions to assess their CPR skills, confidence and practical understanding.
Miss Zeb-un-Nisa from Gambat Nursing College stood first, while Miss Sabra from Gambat Medical College and HND BS Technology also secured first position in her category.
In the final round, Zeb-un-Nisa and Sabira competed against each other, and Zeb-un-Nisa emerged victorious after an impressive performance.
Certificates were distributed among the participating students at the conclusion of the workshop in recognition of their participation and learning.
Speaking on the occasion, organisers stressed that workshops, practical demonstrations, skill based competitions and hands-on training should become a regular part of medical education.
Medical education, they noted, is often more focused on theoretical knowledge and examinations, while practical exposure, extracurricular academic activities and clinical skill development sometimes receive less attention.
CPR is not just a medical procedure, it is an essential life-saving skill that everyone should learn.
The organisers further emphasised that CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS) training should not remain limited to medical colleges and healthcare institutions. It should also be introduced in schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions across Pakistan.
Teachers, students, healthcare professionals and ordinary citizens should be encouraged to acquire these essential skills, because cardiac emergencies can occur anywhere, and timely CPR can make the difference between life and death, they added.
There is a need to promote a culture where practical skills, healthy competition, confidence-building and life saving training are given the same importance as theoretical education, they said.