The national attention to the shortage of citizen care providers last week has led to a significant increase in new registrations in Drenthe. This is reported by the Heart Safe Drenthe Foundation. “In one week we received about 60 new registrations. That is a lot, especially if you normally assume one or two people per day,” says Han Kaemingk of the foundation.
Although Drenthe now has just over 10,000 citizen care providers, this is still insufficient. “With more than 500,000 inhabitants, approximately 12,700 people are needed to cover every call. So we still need about 2,000 volunteers,” says Kaemingk.
Civilian responders are people with a valid CPR certificate. Via the national HartslagNu call system, they can be sent directly to a victim in the event of a cardiac arrest. “Volunteers can indicate at which times of the day they are available, some are even available 24/7. You are never obliged to go, you go if you can. That is why we need a lot of people: on average, five respond to each report,” Kaemingk explains.
Many people wonder whether it is exciting to be called for a real cardiac arrest. “Most volunteers indeed experience this as exciting, but they are never alone. Sometimes the police are already there, on average there are always several civilian helpers present,” says Kaemingk.
Research by the Heart Foundation shows that only 5 percent of Dutch people with a valid resuscitation certificate register as a citizen first responder, often out of fear of doing something wrong. “That fear is usually unfounded. You are never alone, and there are always several volunteers who respond to a report,” says Kaemingk.
Anyone who wants to register can contact HartslagNu, the national call system for resuscitations. A new campaign has recently been started in collaboration with the Association of Drenthe Municipalities: Drenthe is looking for Heart Runners. Interested parties can see what is expected of them via the special website and register immediately.
