BASIC life support (BLS) is a procedure that is performed during certain medical emergency conditions. It involves vital procedures for saving lives, such as cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED) and airway management. It is a mandatory training for all healthcare workers and is equally essential for common citizens. A few days ago, our medical university made it mandatory for house officers to apply for the BLS programme. However, each doctor was charged Rs20,000 for training on dummies. Even though many house officers wished to join the course, the high fee made it unaffordable.

The university happens to be a public-sector institution, but the administration turned a professional requirement into an earning opportunity. Furthermore, house officers who refrained from joining the course due to high fees were threatened that they would not receive their house job certificates if they failed to participate in the course. This forced everyone to eventually enrol somehow.

The programme lasted a couple of hours, with instructors simply copying the American Heart Association (AHA) BLS procedures step-by-step. We were not taught what to do in the face of ground realities specific to Pakistan. Ironically, the very hospital where we were trained and which forced all house officers to enrol in the course lacks basic BLS facilities.

To resolve these issues, three major steps must be taken. First, it should be mandatory to teach the actual emergency management system functioning in Pakistan, rather than blindly copying foreign protocols. Second, there is an urgent need to develop proper BLS facilities in hospitals and in public places. Third, BLS training must be made afford-able for doctors as well as laypersons.

Dr Hafsa Shaikh
Gambat

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026