KUALA LUMPUR: Sports recreation centres need to ensure they have staff trained and certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), said former National Sports Institute (NSI) CEO Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz.
Dr Ramlan, who is a sports science and medicine expert, said whether at professional or recreational level, the standard in health and safety must be the same with protocols in place to deal with any incidents.
"You don't need to hire a medic, but the owners of these recreation centres, whether a badminton hall or futsal court, should have individuals who are trained and certified in CPR.
"They also need to be recertified when their certification lapses, to keep up to date with the latest procedures.
"At a higher level you need to have an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on hand and individuals who can operate it," said Dr Ramlan who was also the National Sports Council director-general.
He said this after the tragedy that happened at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta two weeks ago, where 17-year-old Chinese star Zhang Zhi Jie collapsed during a match.
He received medical attention on the court before being taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead from cardiac arrest.
Dr Ramlan also urged the public who are active in sports to undergo yearly medical checkup to know their state of health, and that any health issues can be detected.
Meanwhile Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said on Friday the NSI had contacted her to suggest that premises, used as training centres for athletes, especially for badminton, be equipped with AED devices following the death of Zhi Jie.
The NSI is now looking into working with local authorities to require all training places, especially for badminton, to have AED at their premises.