When someone collapses from cardiac arrest, the first four minutes decide almost everything. A nationwide programme has spent the past year making sure thousands more young Malaysians know what to do in those minutes.
14,813 students, one year, one record
PMG Healthcare Group has trained 14,813 secondary school students in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) through its Save A Life, Learn CPR campaign, a figure large enough to earn a Malaysia Book of Records title for the largest student participation in a CPR training in a year. The campaign ran school visits across the country from September 2025, and its national tour closed on 3 August at Shen Jai High School in Ipoh, where 211 students took the final session. Under trained facilitators, students took turns on practice manikins, learning chest compressions and the basics of emergency response. A Malaysia Book of Records adjudicator was present to verify the record, and the certificate was received by the group’s marketing head, Eric Wong.
Why the first four minutes matter
CPR buys time. Certified instructor Tan Yee Boon told the students that the golden window for resuscitation is only about four minutes: once the brain is starved of oxygen it begins to deteriorate, and after roughly ten minutes the chance of survival falls close to zero. Immediate CPR, in the gap before an ambulance arrives, can keep that window open. That is why the programme built itself around schools. Ling Hung Leong, PMG’s chief pharmacist and director, said the trained students “will become the most powerful first responders in their communities.”
The point lands harder as Malaysia ages. The more ordinary people who can act in an emergency, the better the odds for everyone around them. First aid is common knowledge in many countries, yet it is still finding its footing here, which is part of why preventive health is getting more attention across Malaysia, from community campaigns to homegrown wellness brands.
How schools can join
PMG Healthcare Group grew from a single Sarawak pharmacy founded by Dr Chieng King Chong into a network of more than 260 branches, spanning pharmacies, medical clinics, specialist dental clinics and physiotherapy centres across Peninsular and East Malaysia. Schools that want to run a session for their students can reach the group’s customer service line at 010-7757966.
A record makes the headline, but the quieter result is the one that counts: 14,813 more people who will not freeze if someone near them suddenly stops breathing.