Four Gurkha police officers lauded for saving cyclist’s life by performing CPR
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(From left) Corporal (Cpl) Jeevan Gharti Magar, Senior Staff Sergeant Man Kumar Limbu, Sergeant Sabin Gurung and Cpl Dinesh Limbu were honoured with the Singapore Civil Defence Force SCDF Community Lifesaver Award.
ST PHOTO: EUGENE TAN
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SINGAPORE - A routine patrol for Senior Staff Sergeant (SSS) Man Kumar Limbu and his team from the Gurkha Contingent turned dramatic when they had to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to save the life of a cyclist.
The officers, who were in a police vehicle, had spotted the man lying motionless on the left-most lane of Woodlands Industrial Park D Street 1 on March 25 at about 11.30am.
Other cyclists were standing around him and looking concerned. The four officers got out of their vehicle and discovered that the man, who looked to be in his 50s, had no pulse and was not breathing.
SSS Man Kumar directed Corporal (Cpl) Dinesh Limbu and Cpl Jeevan Gharti Magar, both 28, to start performing CPR on the man while he called for an ambulance.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Sabin Gurung, 30, began directing traffic as the road was filled with trucks and vans.
SSS Man Kumar said the man was not responsive. “We were worried for him,” added the 40-year-old, who has served in the Gurkha Contingent for 20 years.
But they refused to give up.
Cpl Dinesh and Cpl Jeevan took turns to perform CPR, with each cycle requiring 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths. They completed six cycles of CPR when an ambulance arrived about six minutes after the call.
“Once the ambulance arrived, we felt relieved. We wanted to save his life,” said SSS Man Kumar.
The officers later learnt that the cyclist, who was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, survived the cardiac arrest.
On Wednesday, the four officers were honoured with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Community Lifesaver Award, which was presented by Colonel (Col) Goh Boon Han, commander of the 4th SCDF Division.
Col Goh said: “This incident highlights how bystanders can greatly improve the chances of survival of cardiac arrest victims before the arrival of the SCDF.”
The chances of survival for a cardiac arrest patient drops by 7 per cent to 10 per cent for every minute without CPR intervention, said the SCDF.
Cpl Dinesh, who has served in the Gurkha Contingent for seven years, said it was his first time performing CPR on a cardiac arrest victim.
“I am happy and proud because we saved someone’s life,” he said.
