CNY Safety Tips: Expert First Aid Advice from Dr Lee Soon Han

27 January 2025

Dr-Lee-Shoon-Han

Chinese New Year is a time for family, festive meals, and travel. However, it is important to stay mindful of your health and safety during this season.

Dr Lee Soon Han, our Head of Accident and Emergency Department (A&E), shares useful tips for handling medical emergencies and when to visit the A&E for urgent care.

Common Accidents and Emergencies During Chinese New Year

Burns

Burns from fireworks or kitchen accidents can happen. Quick first aid helps prevent more damage.

When to Get Help: Peeling skin, severe pain, blisters or if the wound is wet.
What to Do: Run the burned area under cool running water for 30 minutes. Cover with sterile cloth or cling film, then go to the A&E.

Choking

Choking often happens at meals, especially with children and older adults. It can be fatal If not treated promptly.

When to Get Help: Inability to speak, cry, cough or breathe, and loss of consciousness. Look out for strained breathing, and blue or grey skin, lips and nails. If these warning signs occur, call an ambulance immediately. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be performed if the person loses consciousness.

What to Do:

For children: Wrap one arm around the body. Bend them forward, and proceed to give 5 back blows between the shoulder blades. Alternate with five abdominal thrusts (also known as the Heimlich maneuver) if back blows do not remove the object.
For adults: Encourage coughing to remove the object. If that fails, perform the Heimlich maneuver: stand behind them, hold their waist, make a fist with one hand and grasp the fist with the other hand. Pull inwards and upwards with a quick thrust just above their belly button 5 times.
Continue with the back blows and abdominal thrusts until the object is removed.

Fall-Related Injuries

Slips and falls are common and can cause serious harm, especially for older adults.

When to Get Help: Severe pain, not fully conscious, or inability to move.
What to Do: Do not move the person. Avoid giving them food or water. Call an ambulance and stay with them until help arrives.

Allergies

Allergic reactions can be deadly, triggered by food, medication, or the environment.

When to Get Help: Rapid or weak pulse, difficulty breathing, facial swelling or severe skin reactions.
What to Do: Stop or remove the trigger immediately, if you can. Go to the A&E immediately or call an ambulance.

Diabetic Emergencies

Food, stress and travel during this season can make it hard for diabetics to manage their blood sugar.

When to Get Help: Excessively high or low blood sugar levels, dizziness, excessive tiredness, frequent urination or general unwellness.
What to Do: Seek immediate medical help at the A&E Department.

Arranging for a Hospital Transfer

Being in the hospital during the festive season is never easy. If you’re in a hospital out of town and want to transfer to Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City, Dr Lee assures you that we are here to help.

“Our dedicated team of professionals will assist to arrange for an admission bed, and provide an ambulance if needed,” says Dr Lee.

Here’s how to transfer:

Tell your doctor you want to transfer.
Ask your doctor to contact our Telemedicine Command Centre (TCC) at +6019-388 3281.
Our team will confirm with the right consultant and check for available beds.
Once confirmed, we’ll take care of the transfer and arrange for an ambulance if necessary.

Be Prepared, Stay Safe

Emergencies can happen at any time. Knowing basic first aid and when to get help can save lives.

Our A&E is open 24/7 and boasts Malaysia’s first private Adult and Children’s Emergency Departments. Our expert team is ready to assist, with Consultant Emergency Physicians, medical officers, nurses and 36 on-call specialists daily.

For medical emergency services, visit our A&E or call: