A lifesaving programme in collaboration between Budapest Transport Company and the Hungarian National Ambulance

On the occasion of European Restart a Heart Day (16th of October), two vehicles of BKK’s Traffic Incident Investigation Unit were equipped with defibrillators, the lifesaving equipment used to deactivate the unwanted fibrillation of the heart muscle by electric shock.

Owing to this healthcare development, presented at a joint press conference by Dr László Pék, Medical Director and Pál Győrfi, Communications and PR Director of the Hungarian National Ambulance Emergency Service and Dr Kálmán Dabóczi, CEO of BKK Centre for Budapest Transport, BKK’s “traffic incident investigators” will be equipped to save lives before an ambulance arrives at the scene in case a passenger gets sick aboard a public transport vehicle. Thousands of people lose their lives annually on public places in Hungary due to cardiac arrest, even though most of them could be saved if resuscitation were immediately performed on them. In the past few years, Hungarian National Ambulance and BKK staff have helped over 3,200 passengers who got sick on trams, trolleybuses, buses and other vehicles. Providing immediate help is essential, that is why BKK’s new campaign informs about the way to do it in a professional way.

BKK collaborates with professional organisations through which the safety of passengers using public transport services can be increased. Two cars of BKK’s Traffic Incident Investigation Unit were equipped with defibrillators so that that passengers can receive professional medical help in the event of sudden fainting or an accident. It is often BKK’s traffic incident investigators who arrive at the scene first, therefore when an accident or emergency occurs or a passenger gets sick, a human life might easily depend on this new lifesaving equipment. ‘’Our aim is twofold: to ensure passenger safety and professional medical help as soon as possible whenever someone needs it, and at the same time the city needs to remain in operation”, said Dr Kálmán Dabóczi, the CEO of BKK.

Cardiac arrest kills thousands of people annually in public places all over Hungary. By starting resuscitation right away and thanks to a defibrillator arriving within minutes, we get the chance to save lives” – declared Dr László Pék, Medical Director of the Hungarian National Ambulance. BKK’s exemplary programme not only informs passengers about basic lifesaving skills, but it also increases the chance for the success of restarting a heart if a BKK member of staff trained in first aid and equipped with a defibrillator gets to the scene as soon as possible, stressed Pál Győrfi, Spokesperson of the Ambulance Emergency Service.