World Anesthesia Day: All citizens of the world can save a life!
On this day of 16th October, 173 years ago, W.T.G Morton made the first official successful demonstration of ether as an anaesthetic which heralded the era of the practice of anesthesiology and is celebrated as World Anaesthesia Day.
And in the time since, the science and art of anaesthesia has evolved and advanced at a rapid pace to the present day scenario, where the anaesthetist’s role is not just limited to the time of surgery, but has permeated into the fields of pain control, palliative care, critical/intensive care and is still constantly evolving.
The World Federation Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA), in collaboration with the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) runs the “World Restart a Heart Day” campaign on the occasion of World Anaesthesia Day. This is a global initiative, started in 2018 to increase the awareness of bystander CPR, in addition to increasing the overall bystander CPR rates.
Utilising the network and reach provided by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to train and raise awareness amongst the general public of the importance of knowledge of CPR and provide training for the same, the World Restart a Heart campaign in its second year looks to further this cause.