The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and General Motors Middle East Operations (GM) have signed a cooperation agreement that will see Chevrolet support the Dubai Child Injury Prevention Strategy.
The agreement was signed by His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General, Dubai Health Authority, and John Stadwick, President of General Motors Middle East Operations, in a signing ceremony that was also attended by a number of senior executives from the DHA including Leila Al Jasmi, Executive Director for Strategic Health Policy, Dr. Ali Al Marzooqi, Director of Public Health and Safety, and Dr Ziad Al Najjar, Senior Specialist – Public Health.
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of infant mortality in the UAE and account for 63% of all child deaths. To help reduce this disturbing figure, Chevrolet is working with the DHA to train maternity nurses in child car safety at Al Wasl Hospital and is donating 500 premium child car seats to parents of new born babies.
Child car seats are recognised as the most effective method of reducing infant mortality in the event of a traffic accident. Research shows that they can reduce infant fatal injuries by up to 71%.
“This agreement confirms DHA’s commitment to build partnerships with public and private entities to enhance and promote public awareness of public health and safety issues and contribute to child injury prevention,” said Al Murooshid, Director General - Dubai Health Authority. “These efforts are in line with the recommendations prescribed by the 4th Arab Children’s Health Conferenc, which focused on the issues of ‘Prevention of Child Injuries’ and was organised under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and his wife her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein.
“This agreement also comes in line with the strategic directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Industry, President of the Dubai Health Authority,” added Al Murooshid. “The DHA directives aim at unifying the efforts of the different bodies involved in child safety and injury prevention. It also develops the necessary mechanisms, policies and strategies with other government entities and civil society organisations and conducts the qualitative and quantitative research necessary to identify relevant risk factors and work towards reducing them.”
Al Murooshid also commended the participation of the private sector in different social and health initiatives. He also thanked them for their continued contributions to the development and success of the various efforts and initiatives organised by federal and local authorities, particularly those focused on child safety and injury prevention.
General Motors Middle East Operations President, John Stadwick said, “Traffic accidents are the leading cause of injury and death in the UAE, and at Chevrolet, we are genuinely concerned about the high incidence of infant mortality in road related accidents. By partnering with the Dubai Health Authority we are hoping to make an impact on the issue by spreading the message that child seats are an effective way to reduce injury and mortality rates, in the unfortunate event of an accident.”
Chevrolet sponsored child injury prevention organisation Safe Kids Worldwide to send experts from the US to train maternity nurses in Al Wasl Hospital. These training sessions, which took place on 18 October, equipped the maternity nurses with the knowledge to educate new parents on the vital role child car seats play in preventing fatal injuries in the event of a road accident.
Chevrolet will donate 500 Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix child seats - a premium car seat designed for infants weighing up to 13 kg (from birth to 9 months) with a retail price of AED 835. It is highly recommended than older infants use car seats that are designed to meet their size and weight.
