NEWS that the Government is to place emphasis on provision of life-saving defibrillators for schools underscores the campaigning message by this paper.

The proposal is that suppliers of the medical equipment will be encouraged to provide price-reduced defibrillators for schools where they can be used to safeguard not just pupils but also staff and visitors.

With many schools also being used as community centres that are visited by local residents, many of them elderly, this move makes sense.

The proposals win the whole-hearted support of this paper which began its campaign to encourage schools and education authorities to introduce defibrillators after a medical emergency at Romsey’s Mountbatten School.

When 16-year-old Sam Mangoro suffered a heart attack, quick-thinking staff used the school’s defibrillator to save his life.

But at a cost of between £800 and £1,000, the machines are not inexpensive, so the Government’s move to encourage and support their provision also highlights how manufacturers can help.

We do not expect manufacturers to give away their equipment. However, any gesture to keep costs low to help save lives will be welcome indeed.