Stepping up to make a difference between life and death

I SAW two contrasting stories over two days last week in Penang: On Wednesday, the story was about a tragic death, and on Thursday it was about a life saved. One life was lost because an automated external defibrillator (AED) could not be found; another was saved precisely because an AED was available – and, more importantly, because a bystander knew how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

The importance of AEDs cannot be overstated. According to the Statistics Department, ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of death in 2022, accounting for 17% of all fatalities. A separate report by the Health Ministry revealed that approximately one-third (35.2%) of heart attack deaths involved individuals under the age of 60.