On the morning of August 21, Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Health organized the launch of a community first aid training program and deployed automatic defibrillation machine (AED). Mr. Le Van Khoa - Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Health said that circulatory arrest and sudden cardiac arrest can occur at any time, of which more than 70% of cases occur outside the hospital.
According to Mr. Khoa, about 75% of cases before cardiac arrest have ventricular fibrillation and need to be indicated for electroshock with a defibrillator.
In the first minutes, time is decisive for the patient's chances of survival.
Meanwhile, professional medical forces need time to move to access the scene.
Therefore, equipping the community with first aid knowledge and skills is identified as playing an important role in the first minutes.
This is not simply investing in medical equipment, but building an emergency network right in the community," Mr. Le Van Khoa emphasized.
Previously, Khanh Hoa mobilized 600 million VND from social resources to buy an automatic defibrillation machine.
According to the Khanh Hoa provincial health sector, the defibrillator has the ability to automatically analyze heart rate and guide use by voice, helping people without medical expertise to provide emergency support while waiting for ambulances to arrive.
However, the Khanh Hoa health sector determines that the device will only be truly effective when someone knows how to use it correctly.
The program is implemented with two related contents, including bringing defibrillation machines to the community and training non-professional emergency responders.
These are people who are not medical staff but are equipped with skills to use defibrillators and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation correctly.
The goal is to form a continuous emergency chain including: early detection - early 115 call - early heart and lung resuscitation - early defibrillation - safe transportation of patients to hospitals and early specialized treatment.
Place defibrillators in crowded locations
In 2026, the project aims to equip 80 defibrillators at key locations, and at the same time train non-professional emergency responders at the deployed locations.
Expected locations include schools, universities, supermarkets, tourist attractions, beaches, airports, seaports, bus stations, office areas, fire prevention and fighting forces and high-rise apartment buildings.
The 115 Emergency Center will be the core force in training, guiding basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation practices and using defibrillators.
At the same time, this unit coordinates management, inspection, and supervision to ensure that the equipment is always ready and the team of non-specialized rescuers maintains their skills.
