National Ambulance increases health and safety awareness for last ten days of Ramadan

• ‘Safe and Healthy Ramadan’ campaign supports community during Holy Month

Abu Dhabi: National Ambulance is increasing its efforts to protect the community during the last ten days of Ramadan. The emergency medical provider will continue to raise awareness of healthy practices for safe fasting, promote safe driving behavior, and urging the adherence to Covid-19 preventive measures for the holy month as part of its ‘Safe and Healthy Ramadan campaign’, launched at the beginning of Ramadan.

The campaign, targeting community members, focuses on three main elements: promoting a sense of responsibility and care for community and public safety by adhering to the Covid-19 general preventive measures for the month of Ramadan issued by the concerned authorities; raising awareness of recommended healthy practices for a safe fasting during the holy month, as well as reminding drivers and road users to drive safely during Ramadan and to give consideration to others to ensure everyone’s safety on the road. 

Ahmed Saleh Al Hajeri, Chief Executive Officer of National Ambulance, said: “As we enter the last ten days of Ramadan, I would like to reassure the community that National Ambulance remains at full readiness and heightened levels of preparedness. This comes as part of the proactive measures we have taken to ensure an effective and rapid response to potential emergency incidents that may arise during the holy month and Eid. I would also urge people to continue following and adhering to the preventive measures issued by the concerned authorities and support UAE’s concerted efforts in protecting the health and safety during and after Ramadan as we all move forward towards full recovery and successfully overcoming this pandemic.”

In its campaign, National Ambulance encourages members of the community to adopt good health practices for safe fasting during the holy month, the most important of which is to consult a physician prior to fasting for Covid-19 patients, pregnant and lactating women and people with chronic medical condition. The emergency medical provider also stress the importance for those fasting to follow healthy and balanced diet consuming food in moderate amounts, as well as drinking 8-10 cups of water a day to prevent dehydration, and avoiding eating fatty, fried and spicy foods and reducing the intake of salt and added sugars.

National Ambulance also advise people to avoid caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea and soft drinks and substitute them with natural unsweetened juices. It’s advice also focuses on the need to get enough sleep and rest, and the importance of eating smaller portions slowly and chewing food well to avoid feeling uncomfortably full or indigestion, exercise or do light physical activity two hours after breaking the fast to maintain a healthy weight and energy level and avoid sleeping or lying down immediately after Iftar.

With regard to safe driving behaviors, National Ambulance reminds drivers and road users to take extra caution on the road, adhere to the traffic rules and safe and defensive driving practices, be patient and tolerant of others while driving, stay focused and calm while keeping away all distractions, plan ahead and start their journey early to arrive on time and avoid last minute rush or stress. It also calls on drivers to refrain from driving when fatigued, and in the event that this happens while they are already en-route, they must stop in a safe place and take a rest and a little walk to energise, and park the vehicles in the designated places when attending Taraweeh or Tahajud prayers and avoid obstructing traffic.

National Ambulance also remind people to call 998 for emergency ambulance in the Northern Emirates and the importance of acting responsibly when calling upon the vital emergency service to help ensure the efficient delivery of urgent care to those who need it most.

National Ambulance provides urgent pre-hospital care in the Northern Emirates which can be requested through the dedicated 998 emergency ambulance number and NA 998 mobile application. Its primary task is to work on the frontline to provide high standards of pre-hospital emergency medical services for serious illness and injuries to citizens, residents and visitors across the Emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah. Qualified ambulance crews combined with an advanced fleet and medical technologies are able to provide the appropriate care for patients in medical emergencies, trauma and public health crisis.

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About National Ambulance

National Ambulance (NA) was established in 2010 as a pre-hospital emergency care provider with a mission to serve the people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) working with both the government and private sectors. Since inception, National Ambulance has focused on steadily improving its performance by adopting excellence standards utilising modern technology, and by providing quality emergency care where saving lives and protecting the community’s safety is at the core of its operations.

Supported by a fully integrated Ambulance Communications Centre and utilising an advanced fleet of vehicles, National Ambulance provides a variety of medical emergency care to patients in the UAE. Through a dedicated 998 emergency number and mobile App, National Ambulance directly serves the community in the Northern Emirates as its dedicated emergency ambulance service, part of the UAE’s vital frontline emergency response. National Ambulance is also a partner in national emergency response working with other emergency service providers across the country to protect the community during emergencies and times of crisis.

National Ambulance’s specialised teams also provide contracted or stand-alone services for a wide range of emergency-related requirements from basic emergency medical services (EMS), emergency medical coverage at private and public events, non-emergency patient transport, helicopter emergency medical services to ongoing onsite medical support and EMS consultancy.

As part of its internationally recognised Training Centre, accredited by the American Health Association (AHA), the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and the American Health and Safety Institute (ASHI), National Ambulance offers training for the community in first aid, CPR AED and other health awareness issues, as well as internationally accredited courses for healthcare professionals. It is also an authorised National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Recertification site.

Through clinical governance, National Ambulance ensures compliance with local regulations and maintaining international standards so patients receive the best possible care. Excellence at National Ambulance has been recognised through ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification; and its services are internationally accredited through Joint Commission International (JCI).

For media information, please contact:
Nour Saifi, National Ambulance
Senior Communications & Media Specialist
nsaifi@nationalambulance.ae
Tel:  +971 56 329 7744

© Press Release 2021