Mumbai may have the willingness to help in a medical emergency, but a survey conducted by Fortis Hospitals Mumbai reveals a significant gap between willingness and the confidence to act. Findings from a survey of over 1,570 respondents released on the eve of World Heart Day 2026, conducted as part of Fortis Hospitals Mumbai’s Har Ghar Hero initiative, highlighted widespread misconceptions around CPR and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), limited awareness of publicly available AEDs and a lack of confidence in responding to cardiac emergencies.

The findings showed:

1. Training vs. Readiness Gap: 36% of respondents said they would not be able to perform CPR correctly without assistance, despite having received some form of prior training. It points to the need for regular revision and hands-on practice to ensure training translates into action during an emergency.

2. AED Confidence & Access Gap:

• 46% of respondents said they would not feel confident using an AED correctly even if the device was immediately available; and 23% were completely unsure about stepping in at all.

• 68% of respondents did not know where their nearest public AED was located. This lack of familiarity could result in critical delays during a cardiac arrest, when every minute can influence the chances of survival.

3. Community preparedness gap:

• 82% of respondents did not believe their neighborhood, workplace or housing society had enough people trained to respond to a medical emergency.

• 100% of respondents believed CPR & BLS training should be made compulsory in schools, colleges and workplaces

4. Misconceptions about who can act:

• 75% of respondents believed an AED is meant only for doctors.

• 32% of respondents believed a medical license is required even to attempt CPR.

• Overall, 75% of respondents believed one needs a medical degree to save a life during a cardiac emergency.

5. Fear of Legal Consequences: 32% of respondents were unaware of the legal protection available to Good Samaritans. It suggests greater public awareness of these protections could help reduce hesitation among potential bystanders.

Commenting on the findings and the Har Ghar Hero initiative, Dr S. Narayani, Regional Director-Operations, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai, said, “These findings are a call to action, not a statistic. Mumbai isn’t short on people willing to help, it’s short on the confidence that turns willingness into action. As a hospital network committed to the health of this city, we don’t see that as someone else’s problem to solve. Through our Har Ghar Hero initiative, our goal is simple: at least one trained responder in every household. That’s why we’re committing to train 2 lakh Mumbaikars in CPR by World CPR Day 2027; building a city where help is always closer than you think.”

Echoing the need for regular reinforcement of CPR skills, Dr Sandeep Gore, Director – Emergency Medicine, Fortis Hospital Mulund, said, “More than a third of respondents who’ve received CPR training say they couldn’t perform it correctly without assistance. This isn’t a training gap, it’s a confidence gap. In a cardiac arrest, hesitation costs lives. We need to move from ‘CPR-trained’ communities to ‘CPR-ready’ ones, where people have the skills, confidence and willingness to act when every second matters. That means revisiting and practising training regularly, so the response becomes instinct, not guesswork.”

Addressing the misconceptions around who can intervene during a cardiac emergency, Dr Amit Nabar, Director – Emergency Medicine & Community Medicine, S.L. Raheja Hospital – A Fortis Associate, Mumbai, said, “This is one of the most dangerous myths we encounter – that saving a life requires a medical degree. Three in four people think an AED is off-limits to anyone but a medic, and a third believe CPR requires a doctor’s license. In reality, both are designed for exactly the opposite; it is for the person standing next to the patient in that first critical minute, long before any doctor arrives. This belief alone costs the society lives.”

Dr Preetam Gaikwad, Head of Emergency Medicine, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, said, “Nearly half of respondents say they wouldn’t feel confident using an AED, and more than two-thirds don’t know where the nearest one is. For many, the device itself is unfamiliar. But an AED is built for exactly this moment: it is voice-assisted, guiding anyone through every step, so you don’t need to be trained or medical to use it. The device isn’t the barrier. Not knowing what it is, where it is, or that it will talk you through it, is. Every second lost to that hesitation reduces the chance of survival.”

Highlighting the importance of community-level preparedness, Dr Sudhir Gore, Head – Trauma & Emergency Services, Fortis Hospital Kalyan, said, “This is what we call the bystander effect in its most dangerous form. Eighty-two percent of people don’t believe enough people around them are trained to respond in a medical emergency. Everyone assumes someone else will step up, so no one does, and the patient loses the only window that matters. The fix is simple – the more trained people there are in a room, a society or a workplace, the less any one person has to carry that responsibility alone.”

The findings reinforce the need for CPR and BLS training to move from being a one-time certification exercise to a regularly practised life skill. Alongside training, greater visibility of public AED locations and awareness of how these devices work can help make emergency response more accessible to the wider community.

Through Har Ghar Hero, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai aims to build greater awareness and preparedness around CPR, BLS and AED use, encouraging individuals and communities to be better equipped to respond during the critical first few minutes of a medical emergency.

About Fortis Healthcare Limited

Fortis Healthcare Limited is a leading integrated healthcare delivery service provider in India. The healthcare verticals of the company primarily comprise hospitals, diagnostics, and day care specialty facilities. Currently, the company operates 36 healthcare facilities (including JVs and O&M facilities) across 12 states and union territories. The Company’s network comprises over 6,000 operational beds (including O&M beds) and 400 diagnostics labs. www.fortishealthcare.com.

About IHH Healthcare (“IHH”)

IHH is a leading multinational healthcare provider shaping the future of care. Driven by our aspiration to Care. For Good., we unite medical excellence and innovation, pushing boundaries through our trusted brands such as Acibadem, Gleneagles, Fortis, Island, Mount Elizabeth, Pantai, Parkway and Prince Court. Across 10 countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Türkiye, India and Greater China, our 70,000-strong team delivers world-class excellence every day, within and beyond our 140 healthcare facilities, including more than 80 hospitals. Our comprehensive services span the full healthcare continuum, from primary and ambulatory to quaternary care, complemented by diagnostics, imaging, rehabilitation, telehealth and home care. In partnership with our stakeholders, IHH is advancing value-based care, building a sustainable healthcare ecosystem and creating meaningful impact, as we work towards our vision to become the world’s most trusted healthcare services network. www.ihhhealthcare.com.