Right time and ready hands save man's life

The Star

18 hours ago

JOHOR BARU: Five Malaysian patient care associates (PCA) working in Singapore became real-life heroes when they helped save the life of a man who collapsed at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex here.
The drama unfolded on the afternoon of Aug 9 after their morning shifts at two hospitals across the border ended.
Shareen Kaur Ranjit Singh, 29, and her colleagues Subhashini Subramaniam, 26, and Veenoshini Sandrasagaran, 36, suddenly heard a woman shouting for help while waiting for their e-hailing rides at BSI's pickuppoint near Jalan Jim Quee.
'We thought the man was having a seizure, as he was convulsing on the ground. We turned him on his back and found he had a low pulse and was struggling to breathe, so I immediately started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while Veenoshini monitored his pulse and Subhashini called for an ambulance,' she said when interviewed.
Shareen added that the man soon lost consciousness, stopped breathing and began foaming at the mouth.
'To complicate matters, the woman with the victim could not speak English or Bahasa Malaysia, so one of us used a translation app to communicate with her.
'The scene was chaotic, despite police and Rela personnel keeping people back – there were still many travellers passing by, and the area was noisy.
'It was very different from the hospital environment where we are usually assisted by other healthcare workers,' she said, adding that Subashini also checked his bag and found his medication, which served as crucial information for the arriving paramedics.
Veenoshini said: 'Despite fearing for his life, we tried our best to keep our cool and never gave up. I felt so relieved when his pulse came back.'
Meanwhile, Nanthiine Gudial Kumaran, 28, said she was with her colleague Hemadewi Balakrishnan, 34, when they arrived at the BSI a few minutes after the other three started performing the emergency response.
'My training took over right away; we just looked at each other and knew what to do.
'Our duty as healthcare workers don't end when our shift does, no matter where we are,' she said, stressing the importance of learning CPR and first aid.
Nanthiine, who has been working in the healthcare sector in Singapore for close to five years, said the five of them did not realise they were working at sister hospitals in the republic until after the man was taken away by ambulance.
A video of the five of them, wearing the same coloured uniforms, made the rounds on social media, with many calling them 'real-life heroes'.
It was learnt that the victim, an Australian in his 50s, had a medical history of high blood pressure and low blood sugar.
The emergency was reported at 4.23pm and first responders arrived about two minutes later, followed by the ambulance at 4.39pm.
Nanthiine said they each went their separate ways after the incident, but she was taken aback to wake up to a deluge of messages from friends, family, and even strangers online the next day.
'Some called us angels, which was a first for us,' she said, adding that their respective hospitals' chief executive officers also recognised their efforts.
She also said they usually commute across the border using transportation provided by their employer, but on the day of the incident, which was Singapore's National Day, they decided to take an e-hailing ride.
'We were just at the right place at the right time. More importantly, it showed the importance of being ready to help, regardless of where we are,' added Nanthiine.