Life-saving experts are hoping Denmark footballer Christian Eriksen's collapse during Euro 2020 will create a drive to make defibrillators more widely available in Scotland.

The 29-year-old midfielder had to be resuscitated on the pitch after collapsing shortly before half-time during a match against Finland earlier this month.

It is hoped that this sudden health scare will raise awareness of how vital it is to have the right equipment in place across the country to help members of the public deal with cardiac incidents The Scottish Sun reports.

Dr Gareth Clegg, chair of the delivery group for Scotland's Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy, said: "After a cardiac arrest every second counts.

"Calling 999 for help, starting chest compression CPR and using a defibrillator as soon as possible is the way to save lives.

"We hope that one day defibrillators will be as common as fire extinguishers - rapidly available to the community in locations where we know they will be of the most help."

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There are just over 4,000 public-access defibrillators registered in Scotland.

These machines could help someone save a life - even if they have not had any previous training.

If used within the first three to five minutes of a collapse, the rate of survival can be raised by 70 per cent.

The Scottish Ambulance Service works closely with Save a Life for Scotland and their partnership has helped equip over 640,000 people with CPR skills in the last five years.

It comes as we reported that a Glasgow MSP had said life-saving defibrillators should be provided at amatuer sports grounds. 

Sandesh Gulhane, Conservative MSP for Glasgow, asked the Scottish Government to help with the costs of rolling out equipment and training across Scotland.