Singapore Heart Foundation Celebrates World Heart Day 2019 with Version Two of Asia’s First-Ever CPR Kiosk

• Singapore Heart Foundation to launch a new version of its CPR self-learning kiosk to members of the public on 29 September 2019 with a fun and interactive hands-only CPR challenge
• Guest of Honour Mr Amrin Amin to present CPR+AED certificates to 15 Woodlands residents at the event

Singapore, 28 September 2019 – To commemorate National Heart Week/World Heart Day (NHW/WHD) 2019, the Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF) will be organising an outdoor heart health carnival at Kampung Admiralty Community Plaza tomorrow. The event aims to educate Singaporeans about cardiovascular disease (CVD) and preventive measures through interactive activities. In line with the WHD 2019 theme “My Heart, Your Heart”, SHF hopes to empower Singaporeans to take responsibility for their heart health and promote the simple lifestyle changes they can adopt for better heart health. Mr Amrin Amin, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health, will be present as Guest of Honour.

“Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer across the globe, regardless of gender. Despite its huge impact on lives, many people still do not understand heart disease and recognise its symptoms. As we mark World Heart Day 2019, the Foundation’s goal is to provide continued education to highlight the different risk factors that lead to CVD and the preventive measures they can take at a younger age. We also want to equip more people with the critical lifesaving skill that is CPR,” shared Mrs Regina Lee, Chairman of NHW/WHD 2019 and Board Member of Singapore Heart Foundation.

Launch of CPR Self-Learning Kiosk Version 2 in Singapore – first ever in Asia

On 29 September, Singapore Heart Foundation, together with Nanyang Polytechnic, will be launching its new and improved CPR self-learning kiosks that will feature a newly added interactive hands-only CPR challenge to encourage more people to try out basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills. As part of the “Hands-only CPR Challenge”, participants will be quizzed on their knowledge of CPR+AED, and challenge themselves to carry out hands-only CPR effectively. Participants can share their results on their Facebook page and stand a chance to win attractive prizes. These new CPR self-learning kiosks will also feature colloquial Singlish prompts like “faster lah”, “harder hor” and “steady lah”, and will be rolled out across six public locations for six months.

Final-year Nanyang Polytechnic’s Diploma in Interaction Design student Ang Jin Wen shared how the project allowed her to apply what she learnt in the classroom to a real-life setting. “Through research and testing our prototypes on potential users, we found that people were drawn towards eye-catching colours, bold designs, illustrations and clear, concise messages. We then effectively designed the interface of the CPR kiosk to encourage the public to learn the importance of CPR in a more fun and interactive manner. With a great user interface and content, we can make for a more enjoyable user experience!”

With the belief that everyone has the ability to save a life, the CPR kiosks were first deployed last year in popular public spaces like shopping centres, hospitals, community hubs and educational institutions, with the purpose of raising awareness and interest in this important lifesaving skill and to increase the number of people trained in CPR. More information on CPR and AED courses and certifications offered by SHF can be found here.

CPR+AED Certification Presentation

As evidence of how more people recognise the importance of CPR as a lifesaving skill, GOH Mr Amrin Amin will be presenting CPR+AED certificates to 15 Woodlands residents during the event.

Heart Failure Public Awareness Forum 2019

In conjunction with NHW/WHD 2019, SHF held the Heart Failure Public Awareness Forum 2019 at Toa Payoh HDB Hub today, to raise awareness of how heart failure is commonly neglected as fatigue or feeling unwell, and to clear the common misconceptions between the terms heart failure and heart attack. The forum included seminars conducted by medical experts, physiotherapist and heart failure patients, on recognising heart failure, how to manage living with heart failure and a panel discussion.

Go Red for World Heart Day 2019

Following the global movement of illuminating famous buildings and landmarks in red to support World Heart Day, eleven iconic buildings across Singapore’s skyline and notable landmarks will be illuminated in red, from 27 to 29 September 2019. Red symbolises the colour of heart health and life while simultaneously serving as a warning to look out for the red flags – the signs and symptoms of CVD.

The locations will include Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, the Singapore Flyer, Maybank Tower, Millenia Tower, Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre and Suntec City, Marina Square, OCBC Centre, Ocean Financial Centre, Helix Bridge, Cavenagh Bridge and Elgin Bridge.