Learn Basic Life Support for Free at Over 70 Mosques

Over 70 mosques across the UK will be holding free lifesaving skills sessions for the general public on Saturday 30 September from 2pm.

Over 400 Muslim healthcare professionals will be volunteering to teach basic life support, including key steps involved in CPR, the recovery position and management of choking.

The Lifesavers project is organised by the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA), an affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain, who have teamed up with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to deliver this community basic life support training programme for the 4th consecutive year.
 
Dr. Mohammed Wajid Akhter, Director of BIMA Lifesavers said, "Around 30,000 people in the UK have an out of hospital cardiac arrest, but less than 1 in 10 survive. By utilising the hundreds of mosques spread across the country and giving health professionals a prominent platform within them, we hope to reduce this number, as well as use the opportunity to improve community health and relations."
 
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, said, “When someone collapses after a cardiac arrest, every second counts. Learning CPR skills is a simple way to make sure you can give cardiac arrest victims the best possible chance of survival. Survival rates after a cardiac arrest have remained stubbornly low in the UK for far too long so it is fantastic to hear that mosques across the UK will be joining our mission to create a Nation of Lifesavers.”
 
Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said, "Lifesavers shows that mosques in Britain are more than prayer spaces. They are acting as hubs for their local communities and providing valuable services to all, whether of the Muslim faith or otherwise. We are proud to be supporting our affiliate the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) in delivering this project."