The Sudden Cardiac Death remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, often occurring without warning and outside hospital settings. Survival in such cases depends largely on immediate response, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and timely use of automated external defibrillators.

In response, the Sudden Cardiac Death Awareness Initiative, known publicly as بإيدنا تنقذ حياة, was launched on June 2025 through a national cooperation protocol between the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration with the Cardiovascular Research, Education & Prevention Foundation (CVREP). The initiative is managed and executed by EXPAND, a specialized ICOM Group affiliate focused on public health education and community engagement.

The initiative aims to transform public spaces into heart safe environments by training non medical personnel in CPR and AED use, strengthening emergency preparedness, and embedding life saving knowledge within everyday community settings.

Grand Egyptian Museum Wave | A Strategic and Timely Intervention

One of the most recent implementation waves took place at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on 15 January 2026, where museum staff participated in a hands on CPR and AED workshop delivered by certified professionals from the Egyptian Red Crescent.

This wave carries particular strategic importance. Following the official grand opening of the museum in November 2025, and with thousands of local and international visitors received daily, preparedness for medical emergencies has become a fundamental responsibility within such a high traffic cultural destination.

Participant feedback highlighted the practical impact of the workshop:

“The workshop significantly increased our confidence in responding to medical emergencies. The hands on CPR and AED training was clear, practical, and directly relevant to our daily responsibilities. We now feel better prepared to act quickly and responsibly if a life threatening situation occurs”.

By equipping frontline museum staff with life saving skills, the initiative directly enhances visitor safety, reinforces crisis readiness in one of Egypt’s most significant cultural landmarks, and aligns public health preparedness with tourism resilience and national reputation.

This intervention represents more than a training workshop. It is a model for how high traffic public destinations can proactively safeguard lives while setting a benchmark for other cultural, sports, and tourism venues across the country.

 A Scalable National Vision

The Sudden Cardiac Death Awareness Initiative is structured as a multi year national program, designed to expand across clubs, youth centers, malls, museums, universities, and public venues throughout Egypt. Through cross sector partnerships and standardized training frameworks, the initiative contributes to long term social sustainability by empowering communities to act when every second counts.

From a destination operations perspective, initiatives such as this support broader readiness standards across venues that receive international visitors. Within ICOM Group, this perspective is informed by the destination management experience of ICOM DMC, ensuring that safety preparedness is considered as part of venue readiness and visitor flow planning, without overlapping with medical governance or training delivery.

Through this integrated framework, ICOM Group remains committed to supporting initiatives related to social sustainability by strengthening community resilience, improving emergency response capability, and reinforcing Egypt’s positioning as a destination that aligns public health preparedness with cultural, tourism, and community development.