Debrecen4U
October 17, 2025
New Life Saving Points in Debrecen
On World Resuscitation Day—October 16—the Pallagi Road center and the Szávay Gyula Street location of the DMJV Urban Social Service (VSZSZ) became a Life Saving Point. This brought the total number of Life Saving Points in Debrecen to 23.
The National Ambulance Service established the Life Saving Point qualification in 2018, which is available to service providers, companies, shops, and other organizations that have a resuscitation device (defibrillator), have created the conditions for immediate life saving, and have several of their employees complete the necessary training course of the National Ambulance Service. In Hajdú-Bihar County—including the 23 in Debrecen—there are currently a total of 43 Life Saving Points, which is unique in Hungary.
At the presentation of certificates certifying the two units of VSZSZ becoming Life Saving Points, Dávid Ménes, station chief ambulance officer of the Debrecen Ambulance Station of the National Ambulance Service and regional spokesperson, first conveyed the good wishes of Dr. Ferenc Korcsmáros, director of the Northern Great Plain Regional Ambulance Organization of the National Ambulance Service, to those who successfully completed the training, as well as to all those who played an active role in the establishment of the new Life Saving Points. According to Dávid Ménes, the fact that nearly a hundred of the VSZSZ staff completed the training is another ray of hope for those who may get into trouble, for whom resuscitation becomes necessary. The National Ambulance Service considers it very important that as many civilians as possible are able to start resuscitation in case of need—by calling the 112 telephone number, with the verbal assistance of the rescue controllers—until the ambulance arrives at the scene. Those who have now acquired the life-saving theoretical and practical knowledge can be counted on not only within the two units of the VSZSZ—both nursing homes—but of course anywhere where someone gets into trouble in this way. In Europe, someone suffers a sudden cardiac death every 45 seconds. It is therefore of decisive importance that someone immediately begins resuscitation on the scene until the ambulance arrives. If a semi-automatic defibrillator is also available, the chance of successful resuscitation can be increased to nearly 60 percent. In Debrecen, nearly 2,000 people have completed the training related to the Life Saving Points so far, and some of them have already completed it repeatedly.
Diána Széles, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen, addressed the event participants as if she herself, along with many employees of the Debrecen Mayor’s Office, who had already completed the resuscitation training course. As she said, the city government is working with the National Ambulance Service to gradually cover all areas of the city where many people regularly visit—for example, in public transport or at the mayor’s office. In this way, they encouraged the units of VSZSZ to become Life Saving Points. The Deputy Mayor also emphasized how important it is for those with resuscitation knowledge to download the application on their mobile phones, which can be found at https://szivcity.hu/, which will allow them to receive an alert if resuscitation is needed in a public area within 500 meters of them, and they can also find out where defibrillators are nearby. Diána Széles is sure that the employees of the VSZSZ who have just completed this course, due to their profession and dedication, will help immediately, without delay, if anyone gets into trouble near them. The deputy mayor mentioned that one of the results of Debrecen being a caring city is that, in connection with school health screenings, by the age of 11, all schoolchildren in the city learn the basics of resuscitation—including specialties for adults, infants, and young children—and are also equipped with the courage necessary for this. It is also a reason for pride that the employees of Debrecen companies and institutions also participate in the training courses required to establish new Life Saving Points with great enthusiasm, a desire to do something for others, and a sense of responsibility.
Lajosné Nagy, the head of the DMJV City Social Service, said that due to the nature of their institution, it has been necessary to start resuscitation until the ambulance arrives in several cases. They continuously receive professional help from the ambulances for this, but so far they have not had defibrillators at their disposal. She expressed her hope that with the help of these devices, their chances of successful lifesaving will increase from now on. As the head of the institution said, although they and their colleagues all have the knowledge necessary for lifesaving due to their profession, it was very useful to refresh and reinforce this knowledge in the course held by the ambulance service. This knowledge can be utilized not only within the institution but anywhere in everyday life, if necessary.
The event saw the ceremonial handover of two defibrillator devices and two Life Saving Point certificates. The two new devices are located in the nursing home at 55/F Szávay Gyula Street and 9 Pallagi Road, where anyone can ask for help in case of trouble. These locations will of course also be included in the application available at https://szivcity.hu/. The two defibrillators that have just been handed over to the institution were donated by Róbert Nagy—the professional manager of Nagykonyha Kft.—who made a commitment this year to donate one defibrillator per month.
Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu
