RIYADH, 22 August 2006 — With Ramadan just a month away, the Saudi Red Crescent Society has launched a massive awareness campaign to educate citizens and expatriates on the basics of emergency care through the mass media and by forming strategic partnerships with government— and private-sector organizations.
The timing of the mass awareness campaign is significant, since a study conducted by the Accidents and Emergencies Department, King Khaled National Guard Hospital, Jeddah, has disclosed that road accidents are a major health hazard in the Kingdom particularly during Ramadan. Its audit of traffic accidents over a one-year period revealed that, out of 361 victims, 16 percent were under 10 years of age and 47 percent between the ages of 11 and 30 years.
None of those involved in accidents were wearing a seat belt. Half of the children injured were pedestrians, with the male to female ratio standing at 4:1. Burst tires due to the surging heat during summer were identified as a common cause (39 percent) of the accidents.
More than 4,800 people were killed and over 32,000 injured in traffic accidents in the Kingdom during 2002, according to a report compiled by the national panel for traffic safety. The Kingdom incurs a financial loss of over SR21 billion annually as a result of the sharp increase in the number of traffic accidents. Dr. Saleh Al-Tuwaijri, president of the Saudi Red Crescent Society, said the campaign, which will be held throughout the Kingdom, aims to cover both citizens and residents to educate them on the importance of first aid.
“We conducted a survey recently and found that more than 80 percent of the Saudi respondents need to be educated on how to deal with emergency situations. So we designed the program in line with the findings of the survey targeting all categories of people,” he said, adding: “We produced 13 emergency programs both for the radio and TV covering accidental and medical emergency situations.”
Referring to the highlights of the emergency care education campaign, he said they include the mass distribution of some 100,000 brochures in Arabic to be distributed through schools, hospitals, hypermarkets and other outlets.
The brochure covers 13 emergency situations and the appropriate first aid response to each. It will be distributed free of charge to every household in the Kingdom. A related CD with documentaries covering the same emergency situations is also being produced for mass distribution and presentation in a series of episodes on national television.
He said another element of the awareness drive would include the formation of strategic alliances with various organizations including the healthcare, education training, civil society, youth, media and information sectors as well as the national and community leaders.
Besides creating an awareness of the importance of emergency care education, Dr. Al-Tuwaijri said another major objective is to have a cadre of trained personnel in the industrial and other sectors in order to render first-aid in the event of an accident at the work place.
“First aid skills represent the first line of safety for the protection of human health, and mastering their skills allows for providing the much needed emergency care for the injured in an effective manner,” he said, adding that preventive measures are often more important that remedial ones.
A large number of accidents and medical emergencies take place at work. Availability of qualified individuals with basic first aid training could go a long way in mitigating the suffering that results from inadequate education or training in preventive measures for administering first aid.
The programs will be delivered to the members of the community via exhibitions, conferences, seminars, workshops, and general presentations.
Last year, the Saudi Red Crescent Society held, under the auspices of the Prince Naif Program for First-Aid, 862 training sessions, in which 12,257 trainees participated, and organized 266 seminars.
A total of 64,370 men and women participated in these events.
