Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training in Sri Lanka – Important landmarks

1. CPR teaching program was first started in 1993 at the accident service- General Hospital –Colombo by the college of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka. Since then, adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in Sri Lanka has been almost exclusively carried out by the College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka, training thousands of health care providers in resuscitation techniques.
2. Incorporating  CPR teaching to post graduate training in Anaesthesiology .

• MD Anaesthesiology Part IA examination – CPR -viva voce was introduced in early 2000
• It was decided to have CPR certification as a prerequisite for sitting MD Anaesthesiology Part 1A in 2005
• CPR workshop was added as preparation course for MD Anaesthesiology -1A– 2005

3. CPR teaching at Accident Service –NHSL was converted to CPR certification course in 2007. The CPR workshop was held every Tuesday at the Trauma Lecture Theatre of the Accident Service, NHSL, Colombo. Certification is was granted after a MCQ paper and a practical examination.
4. CPR committee was established on 30^thNovember 2012 to coordinate and streamline CPR training with the approval of the council of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka. The above committee was renamed as Working Committee on Resuscitation on 30th May 2014.
5. Regular CPR training was commenced at 4 regional centers in the country namely Galle, Kandy, Ragama & Jaffna by 2013
6. CPR certification course for pre-intern doctors with the collaboration of the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka– commenced in September 2012
7. Emergency first aid & basic life support-Community based training – Commenced in 2013 from Nalanda College, Colombo 10
8. We have restructured CPR training conducted by the College of Anaesthesiologists & Intensivists of Sri Lanka taking into consideration of available scientific evidence: We have designed a One day Immediate Life Support (ILS) course in 2014 – One Day ILS course was replaced by One day ALS course with pre-course online learning in 2015

9. European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Courses in Sri Lanka

The College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka have signed a course collaboration agreement with the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) to conduct Advanced Life Support provider courses  &  Generic Instructor Courses (GIC) in Sri Lanka in July 2013.

i. First ERC ALS Provider course in Sri Lanka was held on 1st-2nd November 2014 in Colombo

ii.First ERC Generic Instructor course was held on 4th-5th November 2014

iii. First ERC Immediate Life Support course was held on 13th November 2014

iv. First ERC BLS course was held 26^th March 2022

10. Celebrated the World Restart heart Day (WRAHD) on 16th October 2019 – Trained approximately 5000 Lay people in Basic Life support .

11. Held discussions with the Western Province Governor & Western province health directors Education Ministry officials in 2019 – Could not proceed because of the COVID pandemic

12. Working Committee on Resuscitation was renamed as the Resuscitation Council of the College of Anesthesiologists & Intensivists of Sri Lanka on 23^rd October 2021

13. The inaugural meeting of the Resuscitation council was held on 30th January 2022 at the College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka