Baby Memorial Hospitals and FORCA Kochi join hands to train One lakh people in First-Response skills

Kochi: Baby Memorial Hospitals (BMH) and Kerala Super League football club Forca Kochi have joined hands to launch ‘LifeLinER 365’, a year-long initiative aimed at training more than One lakh people across Kerala in essential first-response skills. The initiative was announced at a press conference in Kochi today by Dr Vineeth Abraham, Director, Baby Memorial Hospitals; Dr. Fabith, Head of the Emergency Department, Baby Memorial Hospital, Kozhikode; Nasly Mohammed, President and Director, Forca Kochi; Shameem Backer, Secretary and Director, Forca Kochi; and Vital Borkelmans, Coach, Forca Kochi.

The initiative seeks to equip members of the public with the knowledge and confidence to respond appropriately during medical emergencies before professional medical help becomes available. The training will cover basic first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), responding to choking, and recognizing and responding to emergencies such as cardiac arrest, heart attacks, and strokes.

Kerala’s need for wider first-response preparedness is underscored by 3,733 road-accident deaths recorded in the state in 2025, while a 2026 position statement by the Indian Society of Electrocardiology notes critically low levels of CPR awareness, training and bystander response in India. The relevance is particularly strong in football, with a 2026 FIFA consensus recommending trained first responders and immediate access to CPR and AEDs at training and competition venues, while recent research shows that young athletes who survive sudden cardiac arrest are significantly more likely to have received bystander CPR and on-site AED treatment.

Against this backdrop, FORCA Kochi will serve as a key community platform for LifeLinER 365, taking first-response education beyond hospitals and into football grounds, fan zones and the wider community.

As part of the partnership, Forca Kochi players and coaching staff will undergo first-response training and actively support the campaign. The club will use its match venues, fan engagement platforms and community outreach programmes to reach football supporters and the wider public.

On FORCA Kochi match days, LifeLinER fan zones and first-response training sessions will be organised at the venues, giving football fans an opportunity to learn how to recognise a medical emergency and take appropriate action until professional medical help arrives.

The programme will also extend beyond football, with training sessions planned at schools, colleges, offices, workplaces, and other public venues. Students, teachers, working professionals, labourers and members of the general public will be among those targeted through the initiative.

“Medical emergencies can happen anywhere, and the first few minutes is highly critical. LifelinER started with a vision of taking first-response training beyond hospitals and into the community, and through our association with Kerala’s beloved club, FORCA Kochi, we will now be taking this iniative to a larger canvas. Football gives us a unique platform to reach players, coaches, staff and thousands of supporters. Our aim is to create a larger pool of people who can recognise an emergency, respond appropriately, and provide assistance until professional medical care is available. Training one lakh people is an ambitious target, but we believe this partnership can make a meaningful difference to community preparedness,” said Dr Vineeth Abraham, Director, Baby Memorial Hospitals.

“Football is more than a sport; it brings together players, coaches, families and thousands of fans as a community. Through our partnership with BMH, we want to use that community and the reach of Forca Kochi to promote a skill that can make a difference when it matters most. By training our players, staff and supporters in first response, we hope to help create a more prepared and responsible football community across Kerala,” said Shameem Backer, Secretary and Director, Forca Kochi.

The LifeLinER programme has already trained more than 35,000 people in just over a year, through 435 training programmes conducted across more than 400 government and private institutions, including schools, colleges and community centres. The experience and reach built through these programmes will form the foundation for the expanded LifeLinER 365 initiative and the larger commitment of training more than one lakh people across Kerala.

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