The Selangor government plans to make it mandatory for all new buildings in the state to be equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) as part of efforts to improve emergency preparedness.
State public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said the guidelines for the initiative were being finalised, with input from local councils to ensure effective enforcement.
She said Penang, which implemented a similar initiative some time ago, was being used for reference in Selangor‘s policy development.
“We want effective guidelines so that all the relevant parties will be bound by the local authorities’ conditions. Once they are finalised, the implementation will be carried out in stages,” Berita Harian reported her as saying.
Jamaliah said AEDs, used to assist heart attack victims before emergency personnel arrive, were especially important in crowded places like sports centres and shopping malls, as heart attack remains a leading cause of death.
She said AEDs had been installed at government buildings, local authority offices and state-owned companies since the start of the year.
Jamaliah said the state government now plans to expand AED installations to other public areas, including parks and places of worship.
She also suggested that the health and education ministries introduce regular cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in schools to better equip students to respond during emergencies.
Separately, Jamaliah said the number of dengue cases in Selangor dropped by 66% as of July this year, with 15,252 cases recorded compared with over 22,000 during the same period last year.
She said dengue vaccination remains optional but is recommended for high-risk individuals such as those who frequently enter forests or live in hotspot areas.
