MMDA bats for defibrillators in buildings

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is supporting a proposal to install defibrillators in all buildings and crowded places in the metropolis to ensure that these devices are on hand if a person suffers cardiac arrest.

“Like fire extinguishers, defibrillators should be available everywhere because they help in saving life,” MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said yesterday.

A defibrillator is a machine that delivers a controlled electric shock to the heart in order to restart the heart or correct a fluttering heartbeat.

The Philippine Heart Association (PHA) has proposed that all commercial establishments, buildings and even crowded areas should have defibrillators.

He said all MMDA traffic constables will be trained by doctors from PHA on how to use the machine so that they could effectively use it during emergencies.

The MMDA added that its traffic enforcers are also being trained in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which could be used when responding to roadside accidents.