When he collapsed, her training kicked in...

Thiruvananthapuram: Renju V’s phone has not stopped ringing since Wednesday evening. The senior staff nurse at PRS Hospital’s critical care wing was initially unaware that her effort to save the life of a fellow passenger was being lauded by people after a video of the same was widely circulated on social media.
For Renju, it was just another day as she was heading home after night duty, until her phone started ringing with appreciation from many people. But, Renju said that she would have been happy if Surendran was alive. Surendran (63) was waiting at a bus bay in East Fort during the sudden strike by KSRTC employees, when he collapsed. Renju, who was there at the bus stand with her husband Binu S Nair, started CPR and asked bystanders to call an ambulance.
“The passenger (Surendran) complained about uneasiness and thought it might be due to low blood sugar; other passengers bought a juice and then he collapsed. When I checked him, there was no pulse and I started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Policemen and fellow passengers helped me to lay him on floor and maintain airway patency. I continued CPR till the ambulance came. The ambulance came within 15 minutes and I did what I could to save his life. When I reached home, I came to know through media reports that he did not survive,” said Renju, who has a working experience of 15 years.
Renju also recollected a similar instance in her life around 10 years ago, when she had completed the general nursing course from PRS Hospital. She had performed CPR on a senior citizen, who had fainted at Attukal temple premises.
“I have been receiving calls from a lot of people, including senior officials, from the hospital. We are all trained to provide emergency care when need arises. I just hope that there will be more social awareness among people to help fellow beings. Emergency care equipment such as automated external defibrillator should be made available at transit location like East Fort,” added Renju.