KUCHING: All Malaysians will benefit from following the important advice by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to learn First Aid, a prominent social activist said today.
Datuk Seri Ang Lai Soon, the founder of Sarawak St. John Ambulance, said by doing this Malaysia was taking a major step forward in looking after its citizens for the present and the future.
“To understand how important the advice is, we need to know that First Aid is rendering immediate assistance to any person from either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening or to promote recovery,“ he said in response to the prime minister’s advice during the presentation ceremony of the Asia Pacific Regional Youth First Aid Competition in Klang on Saturday.
Ang said not many Malaysians had received any First Aid training at all and even fewer still had any knowledge or trained in the equally vital life–saving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) skill.
CPR is an emergency procedure for reviving heart and lung function.
“Knowing when and how to apply CPR is an essential life–saving skill. I have been actively campaigning and promoting for training in CPR in schools and institutions of higher learning not only in Malaysia but well beyond the shores of the country in the last few years.
“Unlike First Aid training which takes some weeks, a CPR course takes only a few hours. The government could look into this matter especially for those rural schools or along the coastal areas,“ Ang added.
He said following the Prime Minister’s advice, voluntary bodies like St. John Ambulance could now look forward with confidence for First Aid and CPR training to be introduced in the school system in the future.
“The Prime Minister has spoken. It is now up to us to act accordingly for the wellbeing of our citizens in this era when medical knowledge and technology are moving forward exponentially”, he said.
Ang said the Sarawak St. John’s offer to train students and the public in CPR had been well received. — Bernama
