Not all heroes wear cape..
On August 9, five Malaysian patient care associates (PCAs) who work at Parkway East Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in Singapore became heroes while off-duty. They were heading home to Johor Bahru when they saw an elderly man collapse. Without a moment’s hesitation, they all jumped in to help, giving him CPR and calling for an ambulance. Thanks to their quick actions, the man got his pulse back and was later taken to a hospital in Johor Bahru.
Shareen Kaur Ranjit Singh from Parkway East Hospital and her two coworkers, Veenoshini Sandrasagaran and Subhashini Subramaniam, were waiting for a ride when they heard a woman shouting and saw the man fall. He was estimated to be in his 70s, foaming at the mouth, and had a weak pulse. When he stopped breathing, Ranjit Singh started chest compressions. Sandrasagaran kept an eye on his pulse, and Subramaniam called for an ambulance. Subramaniam also used Google Translate to talk to the man’s companion, a Vietnamese woman, and found his medication, which showed he had diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Two other PCAs, Nanthiine GudialKumaran and Hemadewi Balakrishnan from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, also joined in to help. The five PCAs, who had never met before, took turns giving CPR. GudialKumaran noted that while a Johor Bahru Customs’ emergency response team arrived, they didn’t have an automated external defibrillator (AED), so the PCAs kept up the chest compressions for about 30 minutes until the ambulance finally arrived.
“True Spirit of Nursing”
Sandrasagaran remembered feeling emotional when the man’s pulse kept fading, but they didn’t give up. His pulse eventually came back, which she said was a huge relief. Subramaniam said the incident made her even more passionate about her job in healthcare. GudialKumaran felt the moment showed the “true spirit of nursing,” that their duty doesn’t stop just because their shift is over. All five of the PCAs said this was the first time they had used their CPR training in a real-life emergency.
A video of the rescue went viral on TikTok. In a joint statement, the CEOs of both hospitals, Ivan Khor and Sherrie Lim, praised their staff for their quick thinking, skills, and kindness. They said the PCAs’ actions “exemplify the values we uphold” at their hospitals. GudialKumaran and Balakrishnan also expressed their hope that more people would learn CPR and first aid so they could help out in similar situations.
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