The Malta Resuscitation Council has called for a national policy that would make life-saving training a standard part of education, saying that CPR should be embedded in the National Curriculum to improve survival rates.
In a statement, the council said life-saving skills should be taught from childhood and reinforced at different stages throughout life, rather than only being discussed after tragedies occur.
The council said it worked with the Education Health and Safety Department to deliver 88 awareness and Basic Life Support (BLS) sessions in schools during 2025, reaching more than 1,900 students and 986 educators.
Despite these efforts, CPR training remains absent from the National Curriculum, it said.
The council pointed to international data showing that countries where Basic Life Support is taught in schools record survival rates that are two to three times higher.
It said introducing CPR training into the curriculum would help create generations of people equipped to respond to cardiac arrests and other emergencies.
The council also highlighted the inclusion of the illustrated digital book Call 112 Fibrillu on school laptops, which aims to teach children and their families the basic steps needed to save a life.
It also welcomed changes to the European Driving Licence Directive adopted by the European Commission in November 2025, which require new drivers to have knowledge of first aid and CPR through theory testing.
According to the council, 12 EU member states already require a Basic Life Support course before a category B driving licence is issued.
The council also addressed members of the public who have recently performed CPR, saying their actions mattered regardless of the outcome.
It noted that it had launched the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Network, which offers peer support to both cardiac arrest survivors and people who have provided life-saving assistance.
The latest local data shows that bystander CPR is provided in just under 40% of cardiac arrest cases.
The council urged the public to enrol in Basic Life Support courses offered by local NGOs, stressing that early CPR significantly increases a person's chances of survival until professional medical help arrives.
A video below shows how to perform CPR on a child if an emergency arises.