Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — The main challenges that face emergency services dealing with accidents include drivers who do not give space for ambulances to reach their destinations quickly, according to the head of Jeddah Health Affairs.



Another challenge is when members of the public gather and cause obstructions near accident sites, said Sami Badawood.



Speaking to Saudi Gazette at celebrations marking International Red Crescent Day, Badawood said emergency services have difficulty, due to the large area of the Kingdom, to have health teams at every location, especially places that do not have water and electricity.



He, however, added that the Ministry of Health and Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) are in constant contact with each other and linked to the same wireless network to be able to deal with emergency cases quickly.



He said: “In case of an accident the SRCA will contact us and they will be directed to the nearest hospital. At the same time we inform the hospital to receive the emergency cases immediately.



“There is now great collaboration between the two agencies and we also have joint trainings and coordination.”



The SRCA celebrated the day in Jeddah with a march-past from the College for Marine Sciences toward the Red Sea on Wednesday.



The SRCA, police, a helicopter and the Civil Defense participated in the demonstration.



The organizers decided to include a shopping mall in the event to help maintain direct contact with the public and increase their awareness and give them training and information to be able to deal with any potential accidents, said Ahmad Al-Sheikha, head of the Friends of the Red Crescent Committee.



Al-Sheikha added that they have included a number of awareness programs, training sessions and some activities for children in the event.



According to recent statistics by the Red Crescent, the organization has provided aid to over 500,000 cases in one year.



According to the same statistics, up to 70 percent of deaths could have been prevented if the Red Crescent was able to arrive at the location within 30 minutes of the emergency being reported.



Al-Sheikha believes that there is a need to have a center that can pinpoint the location of people who need help and provide them with urgent aid until the Red Crescent can reach the location.



The center, he said, needs the cooperation of different government bodies to be a facility that can deal with emergencies.



The center, he added, must have a centralized hotline.



The SRCA also started its air ambulance services in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Qassim and Hail. The service has 15 helicopters, which have already handled over 1,180 cases.



Saudization in the Red Crescent has reached 98 percent and 400 of its employees received training in the Kingdom and abroad.



The SRCA has benefited from over 1,200 volunteer workers who invested their free time in humanitarian work, especially during the Haj and Umrah seasons.