[Tee tiong huat]

The incident happened around 7.30am on Aug 18.   A 27-year-old junior doctor told The Straits Times, he had left his car at home to catch train, from where he lives in Novena, to Yishun be'cos it was a Sunday. At Yishun MRT station, he noticed a crowd at tlbottom of the escalator. A man had collapsed & was gasping for air.

Dr Lim, who has been a doctor for two years, pushed through the crowd and introduced himself as a medical doctor. The man had no pulse by then. Doctor immediately commenced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), & directed people around him to call for an ambulance.

SMRT station manager Kelvin Leong jumped in and instructed station staff to get the automated external defibrillator (AED). He also took over CPR while Dr Lim prepared the AED. Dr Lim said he stressed be'cos it was outside a controlled hospital environment. “In a hospital, there are medical personnel. Everyone is trained & they know their roles in the resuscitation,” he said.

“Outside, we have to try to make use of what’s available, get help of other people,” he added.
Mr Leong kept up the chest compressions before Dr Lim administered the AED. Meanwhile, other station staff ushered crowd away from man. Soon, the man’s heart started beating again.

At about 7.35am, paramedics arrived at the station, took man to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Dr Lim then hopped on a bus & made it for his 8am shift. Paramedics were surprised to see him again at the A&E department where he works. He had told them he was a doctor at the hospital, but did not mention he was working that day. “The paramedics said: ‘I didn’t know you were going to work, we would have given you a ride’,” he said.