* Ghalai Programme is a joint public and private partnership programme aimed at promoting safety of child passengers on Qatar’s roads
Qatar National Child Passenger Safety Programme, Ghalai, has launched Doha’s second checking station for the safe restraint of children in vehicles. The new station, located near the main hospital of Sidra Medicine, was opened Tuesday by Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani, director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in the presence of senior representatives from key programme stakeholders.
The Ghalai programme presents a proven system of safety measures, that can be easily learnt by parents and caregivers, designed to reduce serious injury and death among children involved in car crashes.
“Ghalai, which means ‘my precious’ in the Qatari dialect, is an appropriate name for the Qatar National Child Passenger Safety Programme; it highlights the commitment of our government towards promoting the safety of those who are among the most precious to us, our children,” said Sheikh Dr Mohamed. “The growing success of this programme is due to the strong collaboration between government and private organisations. By working hand-in-hand to develop a strong foundation for educating new parents, together we can help change mindsets about road safety that enable us to better protect our precious children.”
According to the World Health Organisation’s ‘World report on child injury prevention’, children in vehicles account for up to 50% of all child road traffic deaths in high-income countries, and unrestrained children are more likely to be killed in collisions than those using appropriate child restraints.
The report identifies a range of proven effective approaches to reducing road traffic accidents, including promoting the use of protective equipment in vehicles such as child passenger restraint systems, booster seats and seat-belts, and a rear seating position for children.
The Ghalai national programme is a joint venture between the private and public sectors, including the MoPH, Ministry of Interior (MoI), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation, Sidra Medicine, Qatar University, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and ConocoPhillips.
The programme supports the goals of the National Strategy for Traffic Safety, which is led by the MoI's National Committee for Traffic Safety. The Ministry of Public Health assigned HMC’s Hamad International Training Center (HITC) to oversee the development of an education and awareness programme on child passenger safety, which led to the launch of Ghalai in March 2019.
Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, director of HITC and chairman of the Ghalai programme, explained the significance of opening a second checking station in the country. “The opening of the second Ghalai station is a strategic milestone in Qatar’s commitment towards introducing more measures to enhance road safety awareness in the country. We are seeing more young and especially Qatari parents ensure that their infant is placed in a protective car seat. The Ghalai stations are designed to offer practical advice to parents and carers to know how to instal a car seat correctly so it can provide the intended protection. Just like learning how to drive a car properly, people need to be trained in how to instal a child car seat properly and this is what our highly trained Ghalai technicians can provide.”
“Our achievement has been made possible with the support of all our partners. We are particularly grateful to ConocoPhillips Qatar who have staunchly supported the Ghalai programme and helped us raise awareness on preventable injuries and deaths of children in Qatar,” added Dr Saifeldeen.
Located in the spacious car parking area of Sidra Medicine, the purpose built air-conditioned station is designed to accommodate two families with their cars at a time to learn from Ghalai’s certified technicians about the proper way of installing their child’s car seat to ensure that all children are
restrained in their car seats properly.
Prof Ziyad M Hijazi, chief medical officer at Sidra Medicine, said: “We are proud of our strong partnership with Hamad Medical Corporation and appreciate their support in establishing a Ghalai testing station at Sidra Medicine. Having this life-saving service as part of the nationwide Qatar Child Passenger Safety Programme in our hospital is a step in the right direction in our own patient- and family-centred approach to providing care. As a women’s and children’s hospital, we are committed to working towards ensuring child safety and child wellbeing across all facets of our healthcare remit. We strongly encourage all parents, particularly those who have just had a baby or with young children, to visit the Ghalai station and to actively work with us so that they have access to the right tools and resources to keep their precious children safe.”
The first Ghalai station has been operating at the Women's Wellness and Research Center since March 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the opening of the second station but the programme is now well on track to continue on its rapid development trajectory, HMC said a press statement.
Families who would like to benefit from this free service can either visit the station during the opening hours from 10am to 3pm (Sunday to Thursday) or book an appointment by emailing the Ghalai team at [email protected]
The Ghalai programme presents a proven system of safety measures, that can be easily learnt by parents and caregivers, designed to reduce serious injury and death among children involved in car crashes.
“Ghalai, which means ‘my precious’ in the Qatari dialect, is an appropriate name for the Qatar National Child Passenger Safety Programme; it highlights the commitment of our government towards promoting the safety of those who are among the most precious to us, our children,” said Sheikh Dr Mohamed. “The growing success of this programme is due to the strong collaboration between government and private organisations. By working hand-in-hand to develop a strong foundation for educating new parents, together we can help change mindsets about road safety that enable us to better protect our precious children.”
According to the World Health Organisation’s ‘World report on child injury prevention’, children in vehicles account for up to 50% of all child road traffic deaths in high-income countries, and unrestrained children are more likely to be killed in collisions than those using appropriate child restraints.
The report identifies a range of proven effective approaches to reducing road traffic accidents, including promoting the use of protective equipment in vehicles such as child passenger restraint systems, booster seats and seat-belts, and a rear seating position for children.
The Ghalai national programme is a joint venture between the private and public sectors, including the MoPH, Ministry of Interior (MoI), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation, Sidra Medicine, Qatar University, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and ConocoPhillips.
The programme supports the goals of the National Strategy for Traffic Safety, which is led by the MoI's National Committee for Traffic Safety. The Ministry of Public Health assigned HMC’s Hamad International Training Center (HITC) to oversee the development of an education and awareness programme on child passenger safety, which led to the launch of Ghalai in March 2019.
Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, director of HITC and chairman of the Ghalai programme, explained the significance of opening a second checking station in the country. “The opening of the second Ghalai station is a strategic milestone in Qatar’s commitment towards introducing more measures to enhance road safety awareness in the country. We are seeing more young and especially Qatari parents ensure that their infant is placed in a protective car seat. The Ghalai stations are designed to offer practical advice to parents and carers to know how to instal a car seat correctly so it can provide the intended protection. Just like learning how to drive a car properly, people need to be trained in how to instal a child car seat properly and this is what our highly trained Ghalai technicians can provide.”
“Our achievement has been made possible with the support of all our partners. We are particularly grateful to ConocoPhillips Qatar who have staunchly supported the Ghalai programme and helped us raise awareness on preventable injuries and deaths of children in Qatar,” added Dr Saifeldeen.
Located in the spacious car parking area of Sidra Medicine, the purpose built air-conditioned station is designed to accommodate two families with their cars at a time to learn from Ghalai’s certified technicians about the proper way of installing their child’s car seat to ensure that all children are
restrained in their car seats properly.
Prof Ziyad M Hijazi, chief medical officer at Sidra Medicine, said: “We are proud of our strong partnership with Hamad Medical Corporation and appreciate their support in establishing a Ghalai testing station at Sidra Medicine. Having this life-saving service as part of the nationwide Qatar Child Passenger Safety Programme in our hospital is a step in the right direction in our own patient- and family-centred approach to providing care. As a women’s and children’s hospital, we are committed to working towards ensuring child safety and child wellbeing across all facets of our healthcare remit. We strongly encourage all parents, particularly those who have just had a baby or with young children, to visit the Ghalai station and to actively work with us so that they have access to the right tools and resources to keep their precious children safe.”
The first Ghalai station has been operating at the Women's Wellness and Research Center since March 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the opening of the second station but the programme is now well on track to continue on its rapid development trajectory, HMC said a press statement.
Families who would like to benefit from this free service can either visit the station during the opening hours from 10am to 3pm (Sunday to Thursday) or book an appointment by emailing the Ghalai team at [email protected]