TRAINING TOURIST GUIDES TO SAVE LIVES

If you’re a guide leading a group of international tourists on an excursion, what would you do if an accident happened, putting one of your charges in a life or death situation? Would you know exactly what to do?

With this in mind, Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) organised a basic life support (BLS) training session in September 2020 at the Malaysia Tourism Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for our Muslim-friendly tourist guides (MFTG) to equip them with the knowledge and skills to handle such emergencies. 

Under the expert guidance of Dr. Azizul Amar, founder and president of CPR Malaysia, a total of 21 MFTG received training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and hands-only CPR, and learned how to use the automated external defibrillator device.

The lecture and hands-on training by Dr. Azizul included an introduction to the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for CPR, an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. Participants learned about adult and child CPR, and how to rescue choking victims using the Heimlich manoeuvre.

Dr. Azizul also touched on how to deal with Muslim tourists in an emergency, informing participants the acceptable way to loosen the victim’s hijab in the rescuing process and advising them on the appropriate ways and places to touch victims when saving them.

At the end of the training, participants practised their new-found knowledge on specially-designed mannequins for CPR training. They were also evaluated through an online test and individual practical test before being presented with a certificate of proficiency and a BLS Provider card. 

They were the first batch of 62 MFTG certified by ITC to undergo the specialised training. In this round, participants were from Bumiputra Tourist Guide Association (BTGA), Kuala Lumpur Tourist Guides Association (KLTGA), Malaysia Tourist Guide Council (MTGC), Melaka Tourist Guides Association (MTGA), Perak Tourist Guides Association (PTGA), Penang Tourist Guides Association (PTGA), and Selangor Tourist Guides Association (STGA).