KUALA LUMPUR: All public facilities and transportation services will be required to have automated external defibrillator (AED) devices available by the year 2025, says Khairy Jamaluddin.

       The Health Minister said the first phase would be implemented this year for all public and private facilities as well as public transportation to provide AED devices voluntarily.

       "In this phase, owners of premises will also prepare and improve the AED system, including participating in training provided by the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRSC) and St John Ambulance Malaysia (SJM)," he said at a press conference after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between MRSC and SJM on Friday (March 25).

       After the MOU signing, Khairy announced the ambulance hotspot and the MyAED Community projects, a joint initiative between the Health Ministry, MRSC and SJM.

       For the ambulance hotspot project, Khairy said there will be another 15 hotspot locations launched on April 1, making it 20 in total.

       "RM5mil has been allocated for this project," he said.

       For the MyAED Community project, Khairy said 100 AEDs would be placed around the country beginning June 1, which will be increased from time to time.

       "Accessibility to AED devices and trained communities will ensure that a patient is two to three times more likely to survive.

       "Doctors have noted that the first few minutes after a heart attack is critical and if there are AEDs available, the chances for them to recover are higher," he said.

       Khairy added that RM3mil had been allocated for the MyAED project.

       The programme has been in discussion between the Health Ministry, MRSC and SJM since October 2021, he said.

       An AED is a medical device to analyse heart rhythm and deliver electric charge to victims of ventricular fibrillation to restore their heartbeat if cardiac arrest occurs.