An off-duty police officer put his first aid skills into action after an elderly man collapsed at a Sikh temple in Southall gasping for breath.

PC Kully Marway attached to Hounslow borough, was at a family gathering at Ramgarhia Sabha Hall, Oswald Road, for prayers when an elderly man giving a speech fell to the ground.

People rushed to his aid and at first assumed he had fainted but at a closer look he was seen gasping for breath, PC Marway told getwestlondon .

"This gentleman who I now know to be Dedar Singh Nandra, his speech became slurred and he fell to his right hand side banging his head on the wall very loudly before falling to the floor," he said.

"My training kicked in but I was scared and my hands were shaking, I mustered up the courage and got on with trying to save him and had some help and encouragement from people with me.

"Having first aid training is brilliant, you assume you will never use it until something happens which you have to deal with, I’m just glad I could help until the medical assistance arrived and then took over.”

The officer carried out an assessment of Mr Nandra whose breathing was very shallow, and then became unresponsive.

Despite being in shock himself, PC Marway along with the assistance of some other men put Mr Nandra into the recovery position and carried out mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions for around eight minutes.

A call was made to the ambulance which arrived and paramedics took over much to the relief of PC Marway who was starting to feel hot and tired.

Paramedics stabilised the pensioner, believed to be around 80-years-old, and he was taken to Hammersmith Hospital where he remains.

He was kept in an induced coma and stabilised with no lasting damage to the brain and his heart has regained strength.

As a result of the incident on March 18 worshippers have asked for any training or development within temples that can be carried out so people are aware of how to help in the future.


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