Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has launched the second phase of its Safety Tips for Road Accident Prevention (STRAP) public health and safety programme in collaboration with DM Healthcare, a leading healthcare conglomerate in the Middle East.

The STRAP CSR campaign will run alongside the ‘Be Empathetic, Act Timely (BEAT) programme and quit tobacco (STUB IT) programme. The second phase of the campaign aims to cover students of different schools across the UAE over the next five years.

The campaign, in its second phase, will be carried out through ‘Dr Aster Mobile’, the first-of-its-kind mobile clinic introduced in the region by DM Healthcare to support community health and safety services. The mobile clinic provides awareness and offers free primary medical care, wherever needed.

The mobile medical clinic will tour the UAE covering various educational institutes to promote road safety and extend free Basic Life Support (BLS) awareness.

“The STRAP and BEAT campaigns both aim to tackle very important issues,” said Dr Manal Al Taryam, CEO of Primary Healthcare at DHA.

“Safety on road, whether it concerns a driver or a pedestrian, is such a significant matter, yet many take it lightly. These campaigns are a direct and effective method to reach people and educate them about the importance of following road safety rules. Moreover, the campaign also provides training in basic life support for any emergencies.”

She said that the campaign will be conducted across schools in the UAE over the next five years to educate the youth about road safety measures and its importance.

She added that via the mobile clinic 65 campaigns were carried out in 2012 to screen people for diabetes and hypertension. In 2013, with the collaboration of DM healthcare 177 campaigns were carried out via the mobile clinic and free screening for diabetes and hypertension was undertaken.

STRAP is a public information programme, through which DM Healthcare intends to impart the message of road safety by raising awareness of risks and changing attitudes on the roads, thus trying to make the roads of the nation safer for all.

This year the campaign will roll out to different schools all over the UAE to educate thousands of students about the importance of following road safety rules.

A ‘Train the Trainers’ programme’ and live streaming of the event are also part of the campaign with the aim to maximize the reach of the message among the student community. The programme will get across the messages through interesting competitions, videos, plays, quizzes, painting and drawing contests, face-to-face interactions, exhibition of the students’ paintings and a lot more. The winning students will be recognized and presented with certificates and prizes.

Dr. Aster Mobile Clinic will support the campaign in terms of training and creating awareness among the students, teachers, drivers, administrative staff and heads of institutes on road safety and emergency first-aid care. – TradeArabia News Service