Today Al Hilal Bank distributed car seats for newborns at Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women & Children in Abu Dhabi, part of United Eastern Medical Services, as part of its new initiative for promoting child safety in the UAE. Leaders and employees from Al Hilal Bank, along with staff from Danat Al Emarat Hospital, were in attendance as local families were the first to receive the vital safety equipment that can save lives. The Car Seat initiative forms part of the bank’s long-term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program and comes in line with Danat Al Emarat Hospital’s continuous initiatives towards promoting health awareness and enforcing child safety.

Commenting on the launch of the new community initiative, Alex Coelho, the CEO of Al Hilal Bank, stated: “In the first half of 2017 the UAE’s Ministry of Interior revealed that 9 children had died and more than 100 were injured as a result of not using children’s car seats. This loss to the community can be avoided and our initiative to provide car seats to families in the UAE is, therefore, both a timely and important one. At Hilal Bank we take CSR very seriously and are proud to play a role in providing support to local families and help promote broad child safety culture in the UAE.”

Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, CEO & MD of United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical) stressed on the importance of such campaigns and initiatives witnessed throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE. “Partnering with Al Hilal Bank in this initiative is truly an honor as we join efforts in promoting awareness amongst the population of UAE on child safety,” Mr. Al Shorafa said.

YouGov-led research sampling parents in the UAE, found that the majority of parents still do not believe in the importance of car seats. An astonishing 34% saw no necessity to buy them, 28% do not know which seat to buy, while 15% believe that passengers holding children is safe enough. By tightening traffic controls and fixing misconceptions surrounding child safety on UAE roads, change could be made that saves the lives of thousands of children a year.

To address this critical societal need, Al Hilal Bank has joined forces with Danat Al Emarat Hospital in Abu Dhabi and partnered with two other leading hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to offer free car seats for new parents.

The program will be complemented by an extensive car seat awareness campaign on social media and across Al Hilal Bank branches, with the objective of reinforcing the importance of car safety for children. Mr. Coelho added: “Al Hilal Bank’s objective is to have a lasting impact on the community. Our Child Safety Campaign is designed to make a material impact in many areas of child safety, such as the prevention of food intoxication, car suffocation, pool drowning, cyber space, car seats, CPR, among others. As a community Bank we will also deploy AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) in all our branches. We owe it to our community and to the people we serve.”

Speaking about the car seat giveaways, Vino Nallaya, the CEO of Danat Al Emarat, commented: “As a women and children’s hospital, we have an immense responsibility towards mothers and children, both as our patients and as part of the community. Specializing in high-risk pregnancies and neonatology care, this initiative comes in line with our objectives in serving the babies and helping them remain safe on UAE roads. Al Hilal Bank and Danat Al Emarat Hospital share a core belief and we are proud to move forward together in supporting the local community.”

The distribution of car seats is in line with Federal Traffic Law No. 21 1995, as amended per Ministerial Resolutions 177 and 178 of 2017, aiming to protect the lives of children from their leading cause of death in the UAE; traffic accidents.

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