An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) has been installed outside the Distinct Homes Limited building in Victoria, in order to provide crucial equipment that could save lives in the nearby community.

In a statement, the Ministry for Gozo said that the company purchased and installed the equipment outside its establishment in Pope John Paul II Street in Victoria, “as part of its corporate social responsibility.”

The initiative is supported by the Gozo NGO – Friends of the Sick and Elderly Gozo (FSEG).

A second AED will be installed outside another premises of the same company in Mdina Road, Attard, Malta

Distinct Homes explained that it will hold demonstration sessions on how to use the equipment, which will be available free of charge to the general public. More information will be published in the coming days.

In the first minutes after a heart attack, an AED can make the difference between life and death. It is considered as an essential tool providing clear guidance and is usable by people outside the medical field.

The AED was inaugurated by the Minister for Gozo Justyne Caruana during a visit to the company.

Dr Caruana welcomed this initiative and stressed their importance – being instantly available for use by the general public in case of need. She also praised the corporate social commitment of the company.

The Minister said that the Ministry for Gozo strongly supports such initiatives, with AEDs in public places already supported by the Ministry. She added that it is extremely positive that this first initiative from the private sector side is made by a Gozo company.

Dr Caruana concluded by urging more establishments to take this initiative and train their employees how to use it in case a person, or persons need the AED in an emergency situation.

Dr. John B. Pace, on behalf of the FSEG, said that the protection of life is the most important way in which an organisation can help the sick and the elderly and AEDs are instrumental in this, even for people from a non-medical field.

The FSEG works for the protection and welfare of the sick and elderly in Gozo, the FSEG said that it welcomes and supports such initiatives for care in the community and encourages other businesses in Gozo to make similar efforts to benefit the general population.

The FSEG has been providing various services on a voluntary basis for more than 30 years, including equipment such as electric beds on loan and other equipment to improve the care and comfort of the sick and elderly in their own homes.

Distinct Homes is a family run business for furniture and appliances, employing 29 people, it imports the majority of the products from at least five countries.The company was established in 1988 and today is run by the second generation of the family. In 2015 it opened a second showroom in Malta.

Photograph: MGOZ/George Scerri

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