?The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), has launched an electronic colouring booklet containing drawings with awareness messages addressed to children through heroic characters resembling medical staff (doctors, nurses and paramedics) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Titled 'Heroes of the White Army', the booklet contains awareness tips for children to deal with Covid-19 in a simplified way, in both Arabic and English, from heroes in the medical sector during Qatar's efforts to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic, the official Qatar News Agency reports.
Alyaa Hassan al-Kuwari, director of Public Relations and Communication at the MoPH, said: "The launch of the e-booklet is part of the Ministry of Public Health's efforts, in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation, to promote awareness about the Covid-19 pandemic among children in Qatari society. This comes as the precautionary and preventive measures associated with the virus continue, and represents a symbolic recognition of the efforts of medical staff in combating the Covid-19 pandemic."
She explained that "our main goal in the health sector in Qatar is to establish a generation that understands the importance of the medical profession in various specialties, dream and have the passion to work within the ranks of this high profession, instil enthusiasm in children for the future and motivate them to join the leading medical staff, by highlighting our true heroes in the health sector facilities".
Al-Kuwari added that the design of the characters in the booklet and the advice given therein target children aged 4-10 years. An electronic link has been created on the MoPH's website and posted on various social media platforms, in addition to the hashtag #whitearmy_qatar.
Hassan al-Hail, executive director of Media and Public Relations at HMC, said: “The launch of the new booklet coincides with the implementation of the second phase of the gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, with the aim of contributing to raising awareness among children in Qatar about the coronavirus, how to protect themselves from infection and to identify the inspiring roles played by medical staff to fight the virus."
"Through the booklet, the health sector seeks to introduce children to and educate them about reliable health information on the Covid-19 virus," added Huda al-Wahedi, executive director of Corporate Communications, PHCC.
The ministry has invited parents to access the link - https://whitearmyheroes.moph.gov.qa/ - and submit the names of their children to download the colouring e-booklet in PDF format with the child's name. Children can "read the tips and colour the heroic scenes of their favourite characters from the White Army Heroes, in order to contribute to guiding them to engage in manual recreational activities and to stay as far away as possible from electronic devices under the precautionary measures that oblige them to stay at home", the report adds.
The MoPH has also urged parents to encourage their children to draw their favourite heroic character and share them on social media by tagging #whitearmy_qatar.
