Bukit Merah View project aims to boost chances of survival during heart attacks

RESIDENTS in Bukit Merah View now have easy access to a device installed in their void decks that can boost their neighbours' chances of survival in the event of a heart attack.

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs), a smaller version of those used in hospitals to resuscitate patients whose hearts have stopped, are now in all 19 blocks in the housing estate.

Two more are in the Henderson Community Club and the Bukit Merah View market. The precious life-saving devices are protected by anti-theft alarms.

The initiative was started after figures showed that residents in the estate - of whom nearly half were aged above 50 - were more prone to heart attacks.

Statistics from the National Resuscitation Council (NRC), which pushes the cause of life support and resuscitation in Singapore, revealed that the Bukit Merah and Redhill areas had about 150 cases per
100,000 residents of cardiac arrests happening outside the hospital.

The national average is about 25 per 100,000 residents. The idea for the project, called Henderson Heartbeat, came in late 2008, in a joint effort between Tanglin-Cairnhill Citizens Consultative Committee (CCC) and the NRC.

Ms Indranee Rajah, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, told The Straits Times that the NRC was looking for a partner for the project and picked the estate.

She said: "We thought it would be a worthwhile project because it can make a difference between life and death." The initial project cost was estimated at $100,000, but the project team found sponsors who covered most of the costs for the AEDs - which cost $3,000 each - cabinets, signs and installation.

The team raised $5,000 in November 2008, and has spent $2,000 so far on training materials and miscellaneous items.

With cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) done at a late stage, someone who collapses after a cardiac arrest has only about 2 per cent chance of survival, said Professor V. Anantharaman, chairman of the NRC.

But with early intervention, including both CPR and defibrillation, the survival rate could be as good as 30 per cent. About 1,000 people here collapse of a heart attack every year, so having an islandwide network of AEDs could mean helping 300 people survive, said Prof Anantharaman.

AEDs can now be found in places such as shopping centres, homes for the elderly and convention centres.

Having the devices alone is "not sufficient", as there must be people who are trained to use it, said Ms Rajah. In Bukit Merah View estate, about 140 grassroots leaders, teenagers and residents have gone through training to use the AED.

Grassroots leader and project chairman William Cheong said the CCC has sent out fliers telling residents about the new AEDs, and encouraging them to get trained to use it.

Training sessions to teach CPR and the use of the AEDs are held at the Henderson Community Club every two weeks for a small fee.

Madam Kelly Mak, 43, a marketing manager, said she signed up as she lives in the same block as her in-laws, who are in their 70s and have high blood pressure. She also said she could help other elderly neighbours in an emergency. "It's a very useful project and good for the whole neighbourhood. It should spread to the whole of Singapore," she said.

Ms Rajah said the project might be expanded to include other estates such as Henderson Heights and Henderson Crescent, but she would first monitor the response over the next six months.

She noted that people in the estate were generally helpful towards their neighbours, and encouraged this sort of community spirit.

"We want to put across the concept that a caring neighbour also must have the necessary skills to help," she said.