James Kon
A 19-year-old paramedic student from Politeknik Brunei (PB) has earned public praise after his action on Friday evening at The Mall, Gadong helped save a choking baby.
The story of Haziq Dasuki bin Abdul Qawi @ Charlton Louie Chan Yew Fai’s heroic act went viral after PB posted the incident on social media.
In an interview, Haziq Dasuki said, “I was out for dinner at a fast food restaurant at The Mall on Friday at 6.30pm. In front of my table was a mother with her baby and the grandmother who were having dinner.
“The grandmother was calling the baby’s name and there was no response.
“The grandmother began screaming and several customers at the restaurant rushed to check on the baby and started to panic. I approached the elderly lady, told her my name, and said that I am a paramedic student, and asked if I can check the baby.
“I saw the baby’s eyes were not responsive and the heart was racing.
“The first thing that came to my mind was that the food was stuck in the baby’s throat. I laid the baby on my lap and then gave a downward thrust.
“I saw saliva passing out of the mouth eventually. I then checked the baby’s mouth for food. The baby became responsive and started crying.
“I passed the baby to the grandmother and advised her to immediately seek medical attention at the Accident and Emergency Department of the in Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital and later was confirmed having a seizure.”
Recalling his feelings during the moment, Haziq Dasuki said, “I was nervous but I knew that as a paramedic student I must be confident and save the baby’s life.”
He added, ”I don’t think I am a hero. A paramedic’s job is to save lives. I am proud of what I did but, not overly proud.
“I did my best as a paramedic student.”
The lifesaving skill that Haziq Dasuki learnt is from the basic life support course as part of his Diploma in Health Sciences (Paramedic) at PB.
The second-year paramedic student believes that at least one family member in each household should learn basic life support skills, as emergency situations can happen anytime and life support skills can save lives.
On his reason of becoming a paramedic, he said, “Three years ago, I joined a cruise and an incident happened where an elderly man was choking and no one could help.
“I felt helpless, and decided I wanted to be a paramedic to help people during emergencies.”
He added, “I also wanted to contribute back to society. In another incident, my uncle needed CPR when he suddenly fainted in a public area but I couldn’t do anything.
Fortunately someone who knew CPR came to help my uncle and he survived. These two incidents have impacted my life and inspired me to become a paramedic.“
Lecturer of Paramedic from School of Health Sciences at PB Muhammad Ulul Azmi bin Deli was proud of his student’s action.
“I’m proud that he had the courage to intervene and helped save the baby. Doing what is right.. is part of our Brunei Vision 2035 to produce a highly skilled generation.”
Muhammad Ulul Azmi, who is a certified instructor under the American Heart Association (AHA) at Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah (PAPRSB) Institute of Health Sciences Universiti Brunei Darussalam, added, “I hope this incident opens everyone’s eyes on the importance of having first aid and basic life support skills. Every household and school must have people trained in these skills.”
