Written declaration for greater understanding of cardiac arrest

Brussels, 15/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 14 June, the European Parliament collected the majority of signatures needed for adoption of a written declaration calling for the creation of a European week for heightening awareness of cardiac arrest. The text was submitted by Antigoni Papadopoulou (S&D, Cyprus), Joao Ferreira (GUE/NGL, Portugal), Jim Higgins (EPP, Ireland), Antonyia Parvanova (ALDE, Bulgaria) and Raul Romeva i Rueda (Greens/EFA, Spain). Underlining that each year nearly 400,000 people fall victim to sudden cardiac arrest, MEPs consider it necessary to organise campaigns to heighten citizens' awareness and to establish programmes for the implant of automatic external cardiac defibrillators in public places. Better access to defibrillators would considerably improve the survival rate of those suffering cardiac arrest, commented Françoise Grossetete (EPP, France). (IL/transl.jl)