|
Safeguarding Hearts of Singapore: Project Heart 2024 Building a Nation of Early Responders with CPR+AED Skills
Singapore, 12 October 2024 – The Singapore Heart Foundation organises Project Heart annually, to mark World Restart A Heart Day, which is celebrated on 16 October. This year, Project Heart took place at Our Tampines Hub. The event trained and certified about 800 participants in CPR+AED skills, equipping them with the skills to respond to cardiac arrest casualty confidently.
SHF partnered with the Singapore Resuscitation and First Aid Council, the Unit for Pre-hospital Emergency Care (UPEC), Singapore Red Cross and other training partners to certify insurance agents, property agents, and members of the public after the training. These individuals are often on-the-go and frequently interact with a wide cross-section of the community as they visit various locations throughout the day. As trained individuals, they will be well placed to intervene quickly and effectively during those critical first few minutes before the emergency services arrive.
This is in line with this year’s tagline “Safe Home, Safe Hearts”, highlighting the importance of widespread training of community members in lifesaving skills so that immediate assistance can be provided during cardiac emergencies.
In Singapore, more than 3,000 victims suffer cardiac arrest annually, with more than 80% of cases occurring outside healthcare facilities . Immediate CPR and AED can increase a victim’s survival rate by as high as 50%. While there has been an increase in the number of people who recognise the necessity of immediate CPR+AED intervention (from 68% in 2020 to 76% in 2024), more can be done to improve people’s knowledge and training of CPR+AED skills.
To date, Project Heart has trained over 9,000 individuals in CPR+AED skills.
Clin A/Prof Ching Chi Keong, Chairperson for Heart Safe Committee and Assistant Honorary Secretary of SHF, said, “SHF is a strong advocate of CPR+AED training in the community and Project Heart is one of the ways we provide high-quality CPR+AED training to the public. We will continue to invest in educating the public and improving resuscitation outcomes, to make Singapore a nation of lifesavers.”
Survivor Awards Presentation
During the Project Heart event, the Survivor Awards Singapore were also presented to recognise and celebrate individuals who have saved lives during cardiac emergencies. They were also applauded for their fast response and effective application of CPR and use of AEDs. Organised by UPEC and supported by SHF, this award acknowledges the contributions of these lifesaving heroes whose actions have made profound impact on the survivors’ lives. It also aims to raise awareness of the importance of CPR and AED training, and inspire others to acquire these skills. This year, there are 33 individuals receiving the Survivor Awards. These individuals come from a diverse group and their stories on rescues highlight the importance of lifesaving skills in the community. The awardees include laypersons, community first responders, and officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Partnerships to Build a Nation of Lifesavers
National Community Emergency & Resilience Workgroup
The formation of the National Community Emergency and Resilience (NCER) Workgroup, co-chaired by both SCDF and the Ministry of Health’s UPEC, was also announced during the event today. The workgroup aims to drive strategies to strengthen Singapore’s readiness, resilience, and responsiveness to out-of-hospital medical emergencies. It hopes to equip one million people with CPR+AED knowledge and skills and increase myResponder App sign-ups to 500,000 by 2027.
A full list of members is available in the appendix.
Building a Stronger Network of First Responders
On top of the annual Project Heart, SHF is also actively engaging the community through strategic community resuscitation initiatives and has equipped more than 7,000 participants with CPR+AED skills this year.
SHF will continue to partner with organisations and associations to expand its reach and impact and ensure that the community is adequately prepared for cardiac emergencies.
###
Appendix
National Community Emergency & Resilience (NCER) Workgroup Partners
- Unit for Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (UPEC)
- Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
- Ministry of Health (MOH)
- Singapore Resuscitation and First Aid Council (SRFAC)
- Ministry of Education (MOE)
- Sport Singapore
- SAF Medical Training Institute (SMTI)
- Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
- Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF)
- Singapore Red Cross (SRC)
- St John Singapore (SJS)
