The Department of Anaesthesia, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku Ozalla, Enugu, has trained medical students and hospital personnel on how to manage cardiac arrest through the application of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). The exercise formed part of activities marking the 2025 World Anaesthesia Day, celebrated on Thursday with the theme “Anaesthesiology in Health Emergency.”
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a critical emergency procedure performed when a person’s heartbeat or breathing stops, aimed at reviving the individual. The training focused on practical demonstrations and awareness creation to equip participants with lifesaving skills that could be applied both within and outside hospital settings.
Speaking at the event, the Head of the Department of Anaesthesia, Professor Tonia Onyeka, said the exercise was designed to empower participants to act swiftly and effectively when faced with health emergencies, particularly sudden collapses and cardiac arrests.
She noted that bystanders in Nigeria often fail to respond appropriately when someone faints or collapses, choosing instead to take pictures or videos. The department, she said, was determined to change that trend through hands-on education and public sensitisation.
“We decided that this year, we would focus on cardiac arrest as a health emergency by teaching people in our communities how to respond when somebody collapses,” Onyeka explained. “Many Nigerians don’t know what to do in such situations; rather, they take pictures of the person. We want to change that narrative.”
The professor, who is also a Consultant Anaesthetist, said the training involved demonstrations of chest compressions, popularly known as hands-only CPR, a technique that can help restart the heart of an unconscious person before professional medical help arrives.
According to her, the department’s decision to focus on cardiac arrest was inspired by the increasing number of sudden collapse cases in hospitals and public spaces. “We are seeing more incidences of cardiac arrest across the country. It is important that people not just doctors learn how to act fast, because that immediate response could be the difference between life and death,” she added.
Professor Onyeka urged participants to extend the impact of the training by educating others in their communities, saying such knowledge-sharing could significantly reduce preventable deaths.
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Friday Okonna, a Consultant Cardiac Anaesthesiologist and Intensivist at UNTH, highlighted the importance of widespread CPR knowledge in society. He said that cardiac emergencies could occur anywhere—schools, markets, stadiums, or places of worship—and having people who can perform CPR could greatly improve survival outcomes.
“Even in schools, markets, supermarkets and stadiums, people should know how to perform CPR because someone can collapse at any time,” Dr. Okonna said. “CPR is simple: place your hands on the lower half of the person’s chest, lock your elbows, and compress firmly and rhythmically. It can save a life before medical help arrives.”
He further stressed that mastering CPR does not require medical training, as anyone could learn and apply the basic steps to sustain a person’s life during emergencies.
One of the participants, Mrs. Chidinma Rebecca, expressed gratitude to the organisers, saying the session gave her confidence to intervene in real-life emergencies. “I feel glad because I had only read about CPR before now, but I didn’t know how to practise it. This training has shown me what to do if someone collapses near me,” she said.
The World Anaesthesia Day celebration provided an opportunity for the Department of Anaesthesia to highlight the critical role of anaesthesiologists in health emergencies beyond the operating theatre. The department reiterated its commitment to promoting public education, medical training, and awareness campaigns that could strengthen Nigeria’s emergency response systems.
The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital has in recent years expanded its community engagement efforts through educational outreach and life-saving skills workshops aimed at empowering both medical personnel and the public. Officials said similar training sessions would be extended to schools, markets, and other public institutions to encourage early response and emergency readiness among Nigerians.
