PENANG plans to make it mandatory for all public premises to be equipped with automated external defibrillator (AED), according to state Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Rural Development and Health Committee chairman Dr Afif Bahardin.
He said the state government as well as the Penang Heart Safe Programme organising committee are in the process of drafting regulations with the local authorities before enforcing the ruling to make Penang a safer place to live.
“We want to train more people on how to administer CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) using AED,” Dr Afif said in his speech to 1,100 participants who took part in the Mass CPR-AED 2018 programme at the Pesta hall in Sungai Nibong.
He said it is very important for public AEDs to be displayed clearly and easily accessible, not put in a closet, under a counter or locked up in a manager’s office for fear of being stolen. A new, portable AED may cost between RM4,000 and RM8,000 and it can help restore a normal heart rhythm in victims of sudden cardiac arrest.
“We appeal to shopping malls, restaurants and cafes in Penang to voluntarily equip themselves with AEDs to make this programme successful and not wait until a law is enacted. I hope they can get in touch with the authorities for a safer environment,” Afif said.
“For those who have been trained, I hope that when they go back they will train their children, including by showing them videos. We want to create a young generation that will be of service to society and nation.”
The half-day event, organised by the Penang Health Department and Mass CPR-AED Committee, was supported by the Penang state government. The participants were mostly from the police, Fire and Rescue Department, state Health Department, Penang Civil Defence Force (APM), Penang Marine and Royal Malaysian Air Force.
Also present were five students from Chung Ling High School (CLHS) and the victim they rescued, Long Soo Keat, 49, when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on Sept 1 during a football match with his fellow CLHS alumni at the school field.
The five boys – Gabriel Soon Chai Long, 16, Ling Jun Yong, 16, Shaman Suresh, 14, Ansley Tan Zhong, 14, and Tan Yi Ze, 14, are members of St John Ambulance and were on duty when Long collapsed on the field. They managed to revive Long after 12 minutes using CPR and the school’s AED.
Four of the five other St John members who came in an ambulance to take over and rush Long to Penang Hospital were also present at the Pesta hall. They were Tan Khai Shen, Chin Kai Vun, Bernard Nayagam and Wee Jun Kai. The fifth member, Amirul Aziz, was however unable to attend.
Dr Afif complimented all of them for their heroic act and presented a certificate of commendation to each of them.
He said previously there had been cases in public places, like at Youth Park, where they failed to save the victims without the aid of AEDs.
“We have a survival rate of less than 1% in Malaysia. That’s not a good record. This means when a victim suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, chances are he will die. In Singapore, the survival rate is 12%,” he said.
Dr Afif said the state government has been supporting the mass CPR-AED programme since 2015, recalling that the then chief minister Lim Guan Eng and the state executive council gave their strong support to the programme mooted by Penang Heart Safe Programme chairman Datuk Dr Luah Lean Wah after she approached him.
“When your teacher asks you to do something you cannot say no,” said Dr Afif, who learnt CPR and other basic life support lessons from Dr Luah during his housemanship.
“Sometimes, the benefits and results of acquiring the knowledge on CPR and AED may not be immediately felt, but after three years (that we began the programme), just recently, the five boys had saved a life. What is the value in money? There’s no money that can be used to measure the worth of life.”
Also present at the event were Penang police chief officer Datuk Seri A. Thaiveegan, state Fire and Rescue Department director Saadon Moktar, Penang Maritime director Capt Hamizan Harun, Penang Civil Defence Force (APM) director Col Pang Ah Lek, Penang Heart Safe Programme chairman Datuk Dr Luah Lean Wah and Zoll Medical Corporation (Asia Pacific) vice-president Christopher Barnabas.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud