The Makati City government has acquired 39 units of Automated External Defibrillators which will be used as first aid device in case of emergency for children, teachers and other personnel in public elementary and high schools in the city.
Mayor Abigail Binay said her administration had seen fit to equip the schools with the portable device in line with its thrust of building resilient communities with empowered citizens who are capable of surviving and recovering from any adversity.”©
“We have prioritized the acquisition of portable defibrillators or AEDs for our public schools as part of their first aid equipment because it can help save the life of a victim of sudden cardiac arrest, which can quickly lead to death without timely intervention,” she said.
Binay noted that the use of an AED while administering CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) could spell the difference between life and death for a heart attack victim—a student, a teacher, or a school official or staff.”©
Developed by international firm HeartSine Technologies, the samaritan PAD (Public Access Defibrillator) 500 has been designed to revive unconscious and non-responsive patients.
It is used with the Samaritan Pediatric-Pak for patients one year to eight years old and with the adult samaritan Pad-Pak for those over eight years old.
HeartSine is considered as the leading medical and lifesaving treatment provider for sudden cardiac arrest.”©
The device works by delivering an electric shock through the chest to the heart.
It has a built-in computer that checks a victim’s heart rhythm through adhesive electrodes and, if defibrillation is needed, a recorded voice prompts the rescuer to press the shock button on the AED.”©
Recently, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, in partnership with the Philippine Heart Association, conducted a series of training on Basic Life Support and First Aid for city employees, DRRM coordinators in public schools, and barangay personnel.
It also provided an overview of CPR and the use of an AED for the said stakeholders.”©
Through the Training of Trainers program, the city has also been able to create a pool of trainers to cascade the BLS resuscitation courses to residents as well as transients in the city.”©
At present, the Makati DRRM Academy at the University of Makati is accepting applications for BLS and first aid, DRRM 101, and Basic Emergency Medical Technician courses.”©
Interested residents, aged 18 and above, can submit their accomplished student application form and other requirements at the Makati DRRM Office, 15th floor of Makati City Hall Building 1, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 am to 5 pm.
Meanwhile, applications are also accepted on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Health and Physical Science Building, 9th floor of the University of Makati, from 9 am to 5 pm.”©
Earlier this year, Emergency Go Bags were provided to city public schools as part of the city government’s disaster preparedness program.
A “go bag” is a portable survival kit recommended by emergency response experts for every household or facility.
It is meant to help an individual or a family survive, at least in the next 72 hours after a disaster, and contains essential needs such as food and drinking water, hygiene kit, first aid kit, flashlight, and other handy materials.”© “© “©
Binay said education, health, and social welfare services remain the top priorities of her administration, which she said have a combined budget allocation of P8.4 billion for the year, up by 4.4 percent than last year.