KUALA TERENGGANU: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training given to civil servants should be extended so that more people have the skills to save the lives of heart attack patients.
Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Ahmad Shah said this would not only increase awareness of the importance of this basic skill but could also reduce the number of deaths from heart attacks.
“The number of deaths from heart problems increased by 54 per cent in 10 years from 2007 to 2017. In 2007, there were only 8,776 recorded deaths from heart disease but this increased to 13,503 cases in 2017.
“We also know that the level of awareness among Malaysians of CPR methods is still low compared to people in developed countries. That is why I hope programmes such as this could be intensified in the future,” he told reporters after launching the CPR technique for 161 civil servants here yesterday.
Meanwhile, State Health Director Dr Mohd Jusoh said some Malaysians relied completely on health personnel to perform the CPR.
“When the functions of the heart and breathing stop, our brains can only last four to six minutes.
“That is why, during this period, we must help the victim by performing CPR to continue blood supply to the brain before the victim is taken to a health facility or hospital for further treatment,” he said.
He also reminded the public to call the emergency number 999 and immediately perform CPR so that the victim could be saved. — Bernama