A man whose friends did CPR on him in the playground when his heart stopped as a boy says all schools should teach the life-saving technique.
Kenneth Yew has added his voice to calls from the Resuscitation Council for the government to introduce CPR as a compulsory part of the curriculum, as British schools will do from 2020.
Mr Yew had a cardiac arrest out of the blue 11 years ago when he was a 16-year-old at Hillcrest High School in Hamilton.
He was playing with mates, fell down, and never got up.
His friends ran to get the school nurse, called the ambulance, then took turns helping the nurse with CPR and defibrillation by following her instructions.
The ambulance took 13 minutes to reach them - and just as it was pulling up Mr Yew's heart was shocked back into life.
When done properly, CPR chest compressions are difficult for one person to maintain strongly for an extended period of time. Experts recommend rescuers take turns as the group that saved Mr Yew did, so they can ensure the compressions are strong and effective.
To read the full Radio NZ article, click here
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