Campaigns

25 April 2018: Like his two predecessors, the new Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn has declared himself willing to become patron of the nationwide “Resuscitation Week”. This year, the week-long campaign to raise awareness of resuscitation by lay first-aiders will take place from 17 to 23 September. As in previous years, numerous events will be held all over Germany to show that resuscitation is easy and anyone can save a life.

Resuscitation training at the Leipzig Book Fair (15 – 18 March 2018)

19 March 2018: Why is the topic of resuscitation also so important at school? This was the question raised by the resuscitation team of the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) at this year’s Leipzig Book Fair. The answer is simple: when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every minute counts. Unfortunately, there are still far too few people who have the confidence to help. This is why even schoolchildren should learn that resuscitation is child’s play. On 17 March 2018, interested visitors to the book fair had the opportunity to find out what steps should be taken in emergencies. Guided by the motto ‘Check. Call. Compress.’, teachers, book lovers and comic fans were also able to put their new-found knowledge to practice.

Back in June 2014, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs recommended integrating first aid into national teaching curricula from grade 7 on. This decision was precipitated by the comparative reluctance of the German population to implement life-saving measures in cases of emergency. Meanwhile, some of the German federal states have also taken the initiative to integrate tuition on resuscitation into their curricula.

Resuscitation Week will be taking place from 18 to 24 September 2017 under the patronage of Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe.

Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe: “10,000 lives could be saved in Germany every year if relatives or passers-by immediately started cardiac massage in cases of cardiac arrest. However, many people are afraid to do so for fear of doing something wrong. This is why we need decisive joint action by all those responsible in schools, societies, businesses, authorities, in the medical sector and in aid organisations to make it clear that resuscitation is child’s play – the most important thing is to do something! Anyone can become a lifesaver. To help make sure that all schools in Germany include resuscitation in their curricula, we want to support them by providing a training concept for teachers that will be developed by our ‘National Resuscitation Action Group’.”

Back in summer 2014, the School Committee of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs approved the nationwide introduction of resuscitation training to the school curriculum. Some federal states have already implemented this recommendation.

As an example of a possible training concept for the teaching of resuscitation measures in school, the NAWIB would like to refer – without liability – to the concept developed by the German Resuscitation Council (GRC).

The document can be downloaded from the GRC website.

Resuscitation training at the Gerald Asamoah Foundation

24 August 2017: Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe and the resuscitation team from the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) are visiting the Gerald Asamoah Foundation to practise resuscitation measures with children from sports teams. The young athletes came together with former international soccer player Gerald Asamoah in Gelsenkirchen to practise crucial resuscitation procedures under the motto “Check.Call. Compress.’ In sport too: when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every minute counts.

School resuscitation project in Gomaringen

04 July 2017: Annette Widmann-Mauz, MdB, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health, and Dr. Heidrun Thaiss, director of the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA), are today visiting the Schloss-Schule school in Gomaringen to practise resuscitation measures with 70 pupils.

On the occasion of this school visit, Annette Widmann-Mauz, Parliamentary State Secretary, explained: “If someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every minute counts. However, a lot of people don’t have the confidence to start cardiac massage right away. We have to learn from an early age that resuscitation is easier than many people think. We are promoting this in cooperation with the ‘National Resuscitation Action Group’. After all, every one of us can become a lifesaver.”

BZgA press release

3 April 2017: Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe and Dr. Heidrun Thaiss, director of the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA), are visiting the Erasmus-Gymnasium high school in Grevenbroich to practise resuscitation measures with 110 pupils.

The Erasmus-Gymnasium in Grevenbroich is committed to providing training in lay first aid for pupils and teachers alike. School principal Michael Jung: “Resuscitation is an important topic, and we as a school want to raise awareness among our pupils.”

BZgA press release

08 February 2017: The Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) is setting a good example and training its own staff in resuscitation. During the training session, the correct procedures were demonstrated by Dr. Heidrun Thaiss, director of the Federal Centre for Health Education, and Prof. Dr. Bernd W. Böttiger, chairman of the German Resuscitation Council and director of the Clinic for Anaesthesiology and Surgical Intensive Medicine at the University Hospital Cologne. The around 140 BZgA staff are enthusiastically following their example.

BZgA press release

4 October 2016: Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe and Dr. Heidrun Thaiss, director of the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) are practising resuscitation measures with 180 pupils of the Hennef Meiersheide comprehensive school. Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe is delighted by the commitment shown by these children and young people: “It’s great to see how enthusiastic these pupils are about showing that every one of us can become a lifesaver.”

BZgA press release