About 100 medical practitioners have been equipped with Basic Life Support Training (BLST)' which gives them skills of minimising deaths when attending patients with cardiovascular arrest and other types of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the period of one year.

"This training aims at reducing fatalities occurring in the process of attending patients with cardiac arrest symptoms and other types of NCDs which may be caused by mishandling due to lack of skills on how to attend them," said Mr Jabir Shekomba, a trainer from Tindwa Medical Health Services (THMS).

He said that the NCDs, like cardiovascular arrest, were growing among the members of the society due to changing technology and lifestyle, a situation which risks the lives of those patients if there are no skilled medical personnel to attend them.

"The trainees are equipped with skills like ways of giving first aid or how the patient should be handled as they seek for intensive medical attention to avert deaths," Shekomba said.

The training in which, resuscitation skills for patients with cardiovascular diseases were imparted, took place alongside the Tanzania health summit. It was attended by health professionals like doctors, nurses, pharmacists and paramedics.

Mr Shekomba said that the skills garnered were in accordance with international standards. He said the training conforms to American Heart Association (AHA) and the Resuscitation Council of Southern Africa (RCSA).

He added that the coming of this training by THMS reduces costs of seeking such skills abroad which was costly and hence, making it expensive and time consuming.

"I advise members of the public not to take their lives for granted, but be mindful in taking a balanced diet, exercising and checking their health regularly," Mr Shekomba said.