GEORGE TOWN: Students in all 129 secondary schools in Penang will learn how to help someone suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest.
They will be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automated external defibrillators (AED) under the state’s “Future Heroes” programme.
State health committee chairman Daniel Gooi said Phase One, which began last year, focused on Form Four students, while Form Three students from some schools also participated.
“Phase Two will involve students from Form One to Form Five, with emphasis on training within schools.
“We want all students to be trained by 2028 so the skills can be sustained,” he said at the Phase Two launch on Monday. Phase One began with 27 secondary schools equipped with AED units.
Gooi said Phase Two of the programme would adopt a train-the-trainer model to build internal capability and ensure continuous practice.
He called on more organisations, particularly from the corporate sector, to support the programme through funding, expertise and community engagement.
A cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. It occurs when the heart’s electrical signals fail, causing it to stop beating effectively and cutting off blood flow to the brain and other organs.
The person collapses and stops breathing in seconds.
Without immediate help, brain damage can begin within four to six minutes, a critical window often referred to as the “golden time”.
CPR helps circulate oxygenated blood while an AED can deliver electrical shocks to restore a normal heart rhythm.
Used together, they improve survival chances compared with CPR alone.
