National Ambulance uses live virtual training to raise first aid awareness amongst Special Olympics UAE members and supporters

National Ambulance, in collaboration with Special Olympics UAE, has started offering live virtual classes on the basics of First Aid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, CPR, and Automated External Defibrillator, AED.

Delivered by National Ambulance’s team of qualified and internationally accredited instructors, the live virtual classes, are being offered exclusively to members of the Special Olympics UAE and those working in the sports sector and concerned with the health and safety of people of determination athletes in the country.

With 260 members already registered, the programme will continue on a weekly basis until the end of September.

In addition, National Ambulance is providing a community awareness programme on Infection Prevention-COVID-19. So far, more than 200 members have enrolled in the programme which is conducted online through self-taught material.

Ahmed Saleh Al Hajeri, CEO of National Ambulance, said, "National Ambulance is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of the nation. Through these initiatives, launched in partnership with the Special Olympics UAE, we are providing quality training to enhance first aid awareness in the community and amongst those concerned with the safety of people of determination. With health awareness high on the public’s agenda, delivering such training virtually enables us to do so safely while maintaining our commitment to support our people of determination and we are proud that feedback from participants has praised the quality of both the content and the trainers."

Talal Al Hashemi, Managing Director of the Special Olympics UAE, said: "We are proud of the strong partnership we formed with National Ambulance. We will continue working together to serve the people of determination by providing them with the vital support they need across the competitions and events they participate in. This partnership allows us to raise administrative and technical teams’ emergency preparedness and equip them with the knowledge and skills required to deal with the emergency situations that may arise with people of determination. We are determined to continue with such efforts despite the current situation through virtual methods, which have positively reflected in the interest of participants and the diversity of topics presented to serve the interest of the people of determination in the sports sector."

The Special Olympics UAE confirmed that participation is open to all members of clubs and sports centres in the country, as well as those interested in the sports sector and physical education involving People of Determination, urging everyone to participate and benefit from the educational classes.

The classes mainly target coaches, administrative and technical officials, sport observers, club coaches, as well as rehabilitation and physiotherapy specialists. Those interested in registering for virtual classes and learning more about the content and schedules can contact the UAE Special Olympics team at: sports@specialolympics.ae. All Participants will receive a certificate of participation and appreciation from National Ambulance and Special Olympics UAE.

The initiative is part of National Ambulance’s Community Social Responsibility programme and reflects the continuous collaboration between the two parties, which was officially formed last year under a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to enhance the strategic partnership between the two parties and instill vital first aid knowledge and safety culture across society in support of the activities of the Special Olympics UAE and the People of Determination athletes.

Under the agreement, the two parties agreed to cooperate in several important areas of shared interest.

This includes: the promotion and enhancement of policies related to education in Sport Emergency Medical Services for people of determination and their overall well-being; providing basic and advanced educational first aid content for all athletes, coaches, technical officials, sport observers, club coaches, special education teachers, shadow teachers, physiotherapist, physical education teachers and clinical directors working under the umbrella of the UAE Special Olympics; providing all means of support and awareness about people of determination with intellectual disabilities; and launching awareness programmes and initiatives for people of determination athletes to help them cope with issues surrounding performance and increase their awareness about first aid and the ambulance service.

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