I was told by a witness that cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered only when professional medics arrived. The boy died later in hospital.

More recently, local comedian Jimmy Nah, known also as MC King, tragically died at home. And based on what I gathered from newspaper reports, the people present did not administer CPR on him either.

I am no medical expert, but I cannot help but wonder if CPR could have saved their lives. We will never know for sure, but I believe the victims could have had a better chance of survival.

It seems to me that except for medical professionals and those who have served in the military, there are still many people who do not know how to administer CPR. They are probably also unaware of how easy it is to perform CPR.

I think it is a good idea that as many people as possible be trained in basic first aid.

Perhaps, secondary schools can introduce basic first aid training as part of their physical education lessons (if they have not already done so). Resident committees can also implement such programmes and encourage their residents to take part.

Wong Jock Onn