In a community-first move, the Rotary Club of Ara Damansara has installed a life-saving AED at Masjid Al-Makmuriah and offered CPR training to the public. After all, preparedness is the best defense against heart attacks.
WORDS LIM TECK CHOON
PHOTO ROTARY CLUB OF ARA DAMANSARA
On 5 August 2025, a mosque in Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara received an automated external defibrillator (AED), thanks to a collaboration between the Rotary Club of Ara Damansara (RCAD) and local health advocates.
- The AED was officially handed over at Masjid Al-Makmuriah by club president Siraanjivi Ganasan, with Selangor State Executive Councillor for Public Health and Environment Jamaliah Jamaluddin in attendance.
- The donation is part of the Rotary Club’s larger initiative to improve emergency response readiness in public spaces.
“This mosque is more than a place of worship; it’s a community hub. An AED here doesn’t just protect congregants, but the entire surrounding neighbourhood,” Jamaliah Jamaluddin said.
She also stressed the importance of early intervention in cardiac emergencies: “Heart attacks remain the number one killer in Malaysia. Every second counts. An AED can make all the difference.”
PROVISION OF AED AND CPR TRAINING
This initiative is inspired by the State Government’s plans to scale up AED installations in parks, sports centres, and other public venues, along with providing CPR and AED training to community health volunteers (SUKA).
A free CPR and AED workshop, open to the public, was on the morning of 9 August, led by certified VitalFour Medical volunteers.
A UNITE FOR GOOD INITIATIVE
This donation also marks the finale of RCAD’s “A Lifesaver in Every Home (ALEH)” programme.
- Launched by former club president Ling Hau Ching, ALEH has delivered four AEDs and CPR training to over 200 people so far, with two of the AEDs co-sponsored by the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation.
“We’re especially grateful to the mosque committee for their open arms,” said Siraanjivi Ganasan. “It’s a powerful gesture, one that shows how houses of worship can also be houses of healing.”
The project aligns with Rotary International’s 2025–2026 theme, “Unite for Good,” by bridging communities with a shared mission to save lives.
In fact, the handover was officially recognised as part of the Federal Government’s 2025 Hari Kebangsaan Hari Malaysia (HKHM) celebrations, themed “Malaysia MADANI: Rakyat Disantuni.”
Mosque chairman Ustaz Mhd Nadzri bin Hj Mhd Tajudin summed it up best: “This is rakyat disantuni in action, proof that compassion and preparedness cross all boundaries. May this inspire more public spaces to do the same.”
Because when a heart stops, every second matters. In Ara Damansara, help is now just one AED away.
| This article is part of our series on milestone events in the health landscape. |
