Gov’t launches first aid and stroke centers to combat 600 annual emergency cases

With around 300 annual cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and 300 stroke patients arriving at public hospitals, Macau’s new “First Aid Training Center” and “Stroke Center” opened on Saturday.

The two new centers will bring life-saving skills to the community, Health Bureau director Alvis Lo said at Saturday’s inauguration, marking a move toward systematized, standardized, and professional emergency training.

As noted, the First Aid Center will expand CPR and AED education beyond professionals, while the Stroke Center will feature a 24-hour green channel and standardized protocols to boost survival rates and reduce disability.

Macau records approximately 300 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and more than 300 stroke patients transported to public hospitals annually, according to reports. Chang Tam Fei, director of the Emergency Department at the Conde de São Januário Hospital, observed that this “equates to one resident experiencing cardiac arrest and one patient suffering a stroke every day.”

He further cited statistical indicators, noting that over more than two decades of emergency medicine development, approximately 18% of cardiac arrest patients regain a heartbeat and are admitted to hospital, yet only about 4% are ultimately discharged.

Regarding stroke, he noted that after 10 years of the stroke team’s operation, approximately one-third of stroke patients receive thrombolysis, with 10% classified as more severe cases requiring interventional thrombectomy. Treatment outcomes, he added, depend on early recognition and timely hospital admission.

The two new centers, established under the “Healthy Macao Blueprint,” will bring pre-hospital emergency care and early stroke treatment to the community, Chang said.