RIYADH: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) has been playing a very important role in society by providing emergency medical services and transporting patients or accident casualties to hospitals.

Data released by the authority proves its unmatched efforts in crisis situations. The SRCA transported 277,278 emergency cases last year, which means 760 cases per day, and traffic accidents accounted for nearly 51 percent of the total cases in some areas, the data showed.

The Makkah Province was on top of the table with the highest rate of the transported cases at 32 percent or 78,953, followed by Riyadh at 19.4 percent or 53,851 cases, local media said, citing the SRCA data.

The Eastern Province was third at 33,753 emergency cases transported by the SRCA, followed by Madinah (30,629), Asir (19,130) Qassim (15,664), while the number of cases transported in the Northern Borders Region was 3,529.

The SRCA has launched an awareness campaign, starting from Riyadh and covering Qassim, Madinah and Makkah.

A bus has been pressed into service for the campaign with a mobile exhibition with screen, models of operation theaters, ambulances in addition to medical equipment used in emergency and rescue operations conduced by the SRCA teams.

The campaign is designed to promote communal awareness on the SRCA staff, importance of cooperation with them and avoidance of crowds near accident sites.

Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Qasim, acting head of the SRCA, said the campaign aims to stress the need for cooperating with community members and the big role it plays during the Haj season.

“During its journey from Riyadh to Makkah, the campaign will stop in many towns and regions to create awareness through functions and activities based on the turnout of people in each area,” he said.