Recently this month, the House of Representatives approved a bill that mandates all elementary and high school students to undergo basic life support training. The bill is now waiting for President Duterte’s signature for it to become a law.
In line with the proposed Basic Life Support Training in School Act, the bill aims to ensure that members of any school community are able to respond to any health emergencies. All private and public schools nationwide are required to provide age-appropriate basic life support training to students. The program is mandatory for all students; however, those who are suffering from any form of physical or mental disability are exempted.
The training program will include lessons developed by the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) and the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC). The school administrators should coordinate with the country’s Health Department for its assistance in providing basic life support instructors. ). It will be included in the school’s health and physical education curriculum.
A certificate will be provided for those students who will successfully complete the training program.
