(From second left) Jamaliah and Amirudin with the automated external defibrillators during the handover ceremony at the State Secretariat Building in Shah Alam. — KK SHAM/The Star
The portable devices are being placed in state, district and land office buildings
Selangor government has distributed 56 Automated External Defibrillator (AED) units for placement at government-owned buildings.
An AED is a portable medical device used to treat people who experience sudden cardiac arrest or heart attack.
The device is designed to be easy to use, even by people with little or no medical training.
It analyses the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electric shock to help the heart re-establish a normal rhythm.
The buildings included in this first phase of the initiative are Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Bangunan Darul Ehsan, Bangunan Sultan Idris Shah, as well as all District and Land Office buildings, local authority buildings and government quarters in the state.
Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said there were 2,909 deaths due to heart attacks recorded in the state in 2022.
Of that total, 35% were individuals aged 60 years and below, he said.
“A study by the Pan Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study Clinical Research Network found that only 8% out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients received further treatment in hospitals.
“This is a very low number and it can be improved through the wider availability of AEDs and public awareness regarding its use.
“As emphasised in the Resuscitation Plus journal, immediate action through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of AEDs can increase the survival rate by 50% to 70%.
“Without CPR or an AED, every minute without defibrillation decreases the chance of survival by 7% to 10%,” Amirudin said during the AED presentation ceremony at Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Shah Alam.
Selangor public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said the initiative reflected how the state took the safety and health of its people seriously, especially in emergency situations.
“This AED installation initiative aims to enhance emergency health systems, refine strategies, and educate the public on CPR and AED.
“The next step is to develop comprehensive guidelines based on workshop results as well as stakeholder feedback and experiences from AED usage in government buildings.
“These guidelines will be essential for expanding AED usage to public areas such as parks, sports centres, shopping malls and other locations across Selangor,” she added.
Jamaliah said the Statistics Department of Malaysia reported that in 2022, 18,515 individuals died from heart disease.
She said individuals experiencing sudden cardiac arrest would suffer from respiratory failure, have no pulse and die within minutes if not treated immediately.
“Sudden cardiac arrest can affect anyone, including healthy, active individuals free from heart disease.
“A study by the US National Institute of Health found that CPR alone offers an average survival rate of only 5%, compared to 75% when combined with the use of an AED.
“By leading this initiative, the state government hopes to instil confidence and encourage the private sector to join in taking steps to instal AEDs in public places such as banks, shopping malls, and gas stations,” Jamaliah added.
