AED advocate honoured for life-saving mission

Barnabas with Rodrigues (second right), daughters Arielle (right) and Chantal after the investiture ceremony. He was conferred with Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri. — Photos: ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

DRIVEN by a passion to save lives, Datuk Christopher Bar­nabas has been working closely with the Penang government for the past 10 years to create awareness of cardiac arrest responses.

An old boy of St Xavier’s Institution, Barnabas, 59, pursued his tertiary education in the US before returning home.

His professional journey includes roles in major medical firms such as B. Braun Medical, Medtronic and currently, Zoll Medical, which is known for its automated external defibrillators (AEDs), ventilators and other life-saving equipment.

Azmi was conferred the Darjah Johan Negeri award.

Realising that cardiac arrest response awareness in Penang was severely lacking, Barnabas made it his personal mission to change that.

He embarked on a campaign to increase public knowledge about sudden cardiac arrest – a silent killer with alarmingly low survival rates in Malaysia.

In close collaboration with the state government, he set out to boost both awareness and access to life-saving tools such as AEDs.

“The survival rate was just 1% – unacceptably low compared to the rates in countries like Singa­pore and Japan.

“I then made it a personal mission to help place as many AEDs as possible throughout Penang, while conducting public training and awareness campaigns,” he said.

Chan was honoured with the Pingat Jasa Masyarakat medal.

Thanks to these sustained efforts, the cardiac arrest survi­val rate in Penang has climbed significantly.

Bar­nabas was among recipients of the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) – which carries the title “Datuk” – during the investiture ceremony held in conjunction with the 84th birthday celebration of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Ramli Ngah Talib, at Dewan Sri Pinang on Saturday.

Barnabas was accompanied by his wife Datin Anne Rodrigues, 58, and their two daughters Arielle, 25, and Chantal, 27.

Chief Secretary to the Govern­ment Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar was one of four individuals to receive the Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri (DPPN) – which carries the title “Datuk Seri” – from the Penang Governor.

Shamsul was appointed as the 16th Chief Secretary to the Government in August 2024.

Jeffrey Chew Gim Eam - DJN

He thanked the Penang Governor for the award and described it as a meaningful recognition of his dedication to public service.

“This recognition truly inspires me to further strengthen my commitment and efforts in delivering excellence in public service,” he said.

A total of 1,530 recipients received state awards and honours this year.

Other DPPN recipients were Persatuan Melayu Pulau Pinang (Pemenang) president Tan Sri Mohd Yussof Latiff and MMAG Holdings Bhd executive chairman Datuk Farhash Wafa Salvador.

Lawyer Lim Choo Hooi, the Penang Chinese Town Hall honorary secretary-general and Penang Forward Sports Club chairman, was conferred the DSPN award which carries the “Datuk” title.

Winnie Yap Im Nee - DJN

Silicon Island Development Sdn Bhd strategic communications and stakeholder management director Azmi Mohamad, Penang Port Commission (Teluk Ewa) chairman Jeffrey Chew Gim Eam, educator Winnie Yap Im Nee and social activist Lee Thuan Chye were awarded the Darjah Johan Negeri (DJN) in recognition of their respective contributions.

The Star photographer Chan Boon Kai was honoured with the Pingat Jasa Masyarakat (PJM) medal.