Media Releases

• Asia’s inaugural Citizen Life Saving Summit brings together community responders, healthcare professionals and policymakers to strengthen public response to cardiac arrest and other medical emergencies.
• More than 3,000 people in Singapore suffer sudden cardiac arrest each year, with close to 80 per cent of cases occurring outside healthcare facilities, where immediate bystander action can save lives.

SINGAPORE, 9 NOVEMBER 2026—More than 3,000 people in Singapore suffer sudden cardiac arrest each year, with close to 80 per cent of cases occurring outside healthcare facilities^[1] (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or OHCA). In those critical first minutes, whether someone nearby knows how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can make a critical difference between life and death.

Against this backdrop, Asia’s inaugural Citizen Life Saving Summit, held at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Centre for Healthcare Innovation on 9 November, brought together over 300 community responders, healthcare professionals, educators, cardiac arrest survivors and policymakers to promote greater public participation in responding to medical emergencies in Singapore and regionally.

Professor Kenneth Mak, Director-General of Health, Singapore’s Ministry of Health, graced the event as the guest-of-honour.

While the bystander CPR rate in Singapore increased from 22 per cent in 2011 to 62 per cent in 2022^[2], it remains low in comparison to countries such as Denmark, where there is nearly an 80 per cent likelihood of receiving aid from members of the community^[3].

Professor Marcus Ong, Director of the Pre-hospital & Emergency Research Centre and Health Services Research & Population Health Signature Research Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, is a board member at the Section of Emergency Medical Services Physicians of the Academy of Medicine Singapore. As co-chair of the Citizen Life Saving Summit, he said: "When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, the first lifesaver is often not a doctor or paramedic, but the person standing nearby. Those first few minutes matter enormously. We need more people to have the confidence and skills to step forward, perform CPR and use an AED while emergency medical services are on their way."

The role of the community best illustrates what becomes possible when everyone is empowered to act. 23-year-old Lukas Ho’s swift actions that helped to save a man’s life best illustrate the importance of a community that is empowered to act. Responding to a notification from the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) myResponder mobile app around 3am on 23 November 2025 while on his way home, he rushed to the house of a man nearby who had suffered a cardiac arrest. He then took turns to perform CPR and use an AED on him with another community responder who was at the scene. Mr Ho later received the Community Lifesaver Award from SCDF’s Tampines Branch.

“Being able to play a part in saving someone’s life was an incredibly meaningful experience. It reminded me how important it is to be equipped with CPR and AED skills. The training gave me the knowledge and confidence to know what to do in an emergency—not only to help those in need, but also to provide reassurance and support to their distressed family members. I hope my experience encourages more people to learn these lifesaving skills.” said Mr Ho.

At the Summit, other community first responders like Mr Ho shared what prompted them to step forward as well as their firsthand stories of saving lives during a segment that showcased how members of the community can make a difference during medical emergencies.

In a panel session, leading representatives from Asia and beyond discussed whether automated external defibrillators (AEDs) should be installed in all buildings. They shared successes and lessons from their countries’ existing policies and ways to expand the availability of such lifesaving equipment to treat sudden cardiac arrest.

Experts and emergency medicine professionals across Asia also gave an overview of initiatives to build communities of citizen lifesavers in Malaysia, Thailand, China, Korea, including public education as well as CPR and AED training.

The Citizen Life Saving Summit is jointly organised by the Asian Association for Emergency Medical Services (AAEMS) and the Section of EMS Physicians (SEMSP) under the College of Emergency Physicians, Academy of Medicine, Singapore, with the support of Duke-NUS Medical School and the Citizen CPR Foundation.  

The Summit is part of the eighth EMS Asia conference, which will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre until 11 November. EMS Asia 2026 is Asia’s leading conference for improving disaster and trauma systems across Asia and integrating them with community responses.

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