Penang SJA plans second centre
News extracted from The
Star
St. John Ambulance (SJA)
plans to open a second Emergency Medical Assistance Service centre either in
Tanjung Tokong or Tanjung Bungah
by end of the year.
Its Penang commander Datuk
Dr Yee Thiam Sun said this would enable patients in Teluk Bahang and Batu
Ferringhi to be quickly rushed to hospital.
“This is part of our move
to expand our service coverage to more areas on Penang Island,” he said
after the opening of the national cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
workshop for health providers at the St John Ambulance headquarters in
Penang recently.
Deputy Information
Minister Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye opened the workshop, which was attended
by 40 people.
Dr Yee said the
organisation’s first centre in Bayan Baru, which was opened 16 months ago,
provides ambulance service from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and round-the-clock
on weekends.
First aid: Chia trying out a first aid
technique after opening the CPR workshop. With him are Dr Sham Kumar (right)
and national St John Ambulance chief of staff Dr Lee Hoo Teong.
He said the organisation
was using an ambulance which was borrowed from the national head-quarters.
“We are planning to buy
our own ambulance which will cost about RM250,000. So far, we have raised
about RM70,000,” he said.
Workshop organising
committee chairman Dr S. Sham Kumar said the organisation had embarked on
providing CPR courses to the public.
“Ultimately, we hope there
will be a CPR-trained individual in every household in Penang,” he said.
Chia, who is Bukit Bendera
MP, commended St John Ambulance for providing a valuable service to the
public.
He announced that he would
give RM10,000 from his constituency allocation for the organisation to
conduct training for its members.
EMAS
Penang,
Dynamic, professional, committed to the community
