The Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak’s Volunteer Programme and the Frontline Heroes Office launched of the first phase of its training programme as a part of the ‘Jaheziya’ initiative, which is designed to enhance the skills of Frontline Heroes across the United Arab Emirates with internationally accredited courses for emergency readiness and disaster management. These programmes adopt the highest international standards for disaster, emergency, and crises medicine through the use of field and mobile training centers by adopting the simulation method.
The ‘Jaheziya’ programme protects all citizens and residents of the country by establishing an advanced network of certified emergency and disaster management specialists, through unconventional medical training that prepares participants for all kinds of potential emergencies. These include infectious diseases, the spread of airborne viruses, natural disasters, fires and nuclear accidents.
The first phase of the ‘Jaheziya’ training programme, which was launched this March, includes about 2,000 Frontline Heroes. The programme aims to strengthen the skills of 8,000 professionals and volunteers on the Frontline Heroes Office registry to raise their levels of preparation in responding to major accidents and emergencies.
The programme includes several trainings such as preparing and implementing field exercises to test the effectiveness of the workshops and the incident response process, including the ability to evacuate casualties as well as preparations for pre-hospital care, hospital care and post-care phases, and operational readiness at individual and organizational levels.
Her Excellency Noura Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Secretary General of the General Women’s Union said: “Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak’s volunteering programme witnessed the registration of thousands of Frontline Heroes, The programme, which was developed and approved by some of the most prominent international institutions in the world, unifies the performance of all responders to medical and non-medical emergencies and contributes to establishing a strong and flexible network of volunteers who are able to work on the ground in a unified framework during emergencies and crises.”
Al-Suwaidi pointed out that the ‘Jaheziya’ initiative is modeled to meet the standards of trainings offered by leading American universities in this field, and the participants who complete the programme will receive an accredited certificate from a group of prominent institutions specialized in National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, including the National Foundation for Life Support in Disasters, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the British Life Support Group, and the American Foundation for International Life Trauma Support (ITLS).
The ‘Jaheziya’ programme offers courses which include a range of specializations such as the e-learning course for medical emergency and disaster response, the basic and advanced life support in crises course, the international trauma life support course, the medical response course for major accidents and disasters, and the life support course for pregnant women. All trainees will undergo sixty hours of virtual and field training in courses that are consistent with their jobs.
The ‘Jaheziya’ initiative also offers monthly seminars to all the participants, in addition to specialized weekly courses based on individual areas of expertise. Field trainings will be provided to all specialized medical staff at local hospitals through mobile training centers across the Emirates. All trainees are required to pass tests after each stage of the initiative to obtain certificates.
The programme was designed in a sustainable way to build the participants’ long-term skills and experience. The best performing individuals will be nominated to participate in specialized training courses, as part of the initiative’s approach to “train the trainer” to establish a local community of emergency response experts, which can provide future coaching programmes after they pass the complete the tests.
All specialized medical staff, paramedics, rescue team members, employees working in the wide range of emergency and crisis response departments and volunteers registered in the Frontline Heroes’ registry will benefit from the ‘Jaheziya’ initiative. Frontline Heroes Office and the Sheikha Fatima Volunteer Programme are coordinating with all concerned government institutions and public and private healthcare facilities responsible for registering employees with the office to select candidates for the training courses.
Her Excellency Professor Maha Barakat, Director General of the Frontline Heroes Office, said “We owe Frontline Heroes for their continuous efforts and sacrifices. This initiative not only supports them with the highest standards of training to help them progress in their professional lives but also gives them tools that will empower them to serve on the frontline”.
“Maintaining a high level of readiness in the country’s health sector to handle emergencies and crises is important for protecting the health and safety of our people. The ‘Jaheziya’ programme directly addresses this priority by providing theoretical and practical trainings that bring the taught skills into real-life practice,” her Excellency added.
“We are proud of the Frontline Heroes who have put in so much effort and dedication to protect the United Arab Emirates and its citizens. The ‘Jaheziya’ programme will contribute to enhancing the skills of Frontline Heroes through its comprehensive training services. Expanding the network of certified trainers will ensure that more and more professionals on the frontline are skilled in emergency readiness and disaster management,” said Dr. Adel Al-Shamri Al-Ajmi, Director of the ‘Jaheziya’ programme.
Dr. Adel also explained that the programme is part of the ongoing efforts made by the UAE government in establishing and developing specialized training centers in the field of disaster medicine to provide all the necessary equipment, infrastructure, systems and workforce.
In its first phase, the programme received registration from Frontline Heroes across different private institutions and government entities such as the Ministry of Health and Abu Dhabi Health Services “SEHA”, Mubadala Healthcare, Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, General Administration of Civil Defense Abu Dhabi, and the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority, the Armed Force’s Medical Services, the Medical Services by ADNOC and a number of private hospitals.
