The charity Welsh Hearts currently provides reduced-cost heart screening, but they believe it should be funded for by the government
Welsh Hearts is providing heart screening services across Wales, to reduce the number of deaths related to heart conditions in young people.
The charity uses money from donations to provide free CPR training and heart screening for eight to 45 year olds in Wales.
A petition has been launched aiming to convince the Welsh government to support the initiative, as services are currently funded by donations from the general public.
Sharon Owen, the charity director, said: “In Italy, where screening is mandatory for sports people, it has been shown to lead to an 89% decrease in sudden cardiac death.”
The charity reported that the figures show at least 12 young people die every week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions, and survival rates after a cardiac arrest are only around three percent.
“The purpose of the screening is to detect any abnormalities before it’s too late, because there are often no symptoms displayed, or they simply go unnoticed,” said Sharon.
The screening consists of an ECG, and if abnormalities are found, or if there is a history of sudden deaths in the family, an echocardiogram is also carried out.
Sharon added: “While we appreciate no single test can definitively rule out all heart conditions, we do sincerely believe that our screenings can, and already have, prevented a number of deaths in young people.”
They aim to eventually offer free sessions and will need around £1m per year to do so.
However, for now, they offer part-funded sessions for £65, which is cheaper than a private session, which can cost around £300.
Ashleigh Edwards, 22, a GP receptionist from Blackwood, has had her heart screened, along with her siblings. She said: “It’s a great idea because I know one boy, from the valleys, who died when he was 15 from a heart problem.”
The charity is also working to place more defibrillators in the community, which is an electronic device used to treat cardiac arrest.