KUCHING: The Kuching Specialist Hospital has launched the first Kuching Buckle Up Baby! Campaign here yesterday with theme of “Buckle Up: Every Ride, Every Time” which kicks off on the 28 April until 31 May 2018.
Medical director of Kuching Specialist Hospital, Dr David Sylvester Ling said that road accidents has remained a leading cause of accidental death for children and might lead to serious or life-changing injuries such as loss of limbs, spinal injuries and head injuries.
“The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) reports that research has shown that children transported in private vehicles (car, van, 4WD) are the first and second leading cause of traffic related-death among children aged 14 years old (43.8%) and 5-9 years old (30.2%) respectively.
“The use of seat belts and child restraints is one of the most important actions that can be taken to prevent injury in a motor vehicle crash,” explained Dr David during the launching ceremony of the campaign at Kuching Specialist Hospital.
He added that the statistic published by the Global status report on road safety (World Health Organization) indicated that with the correct installation and use of seat belt and child restraint would reduce deaths among infants by approximately 70 per cent and deaths among small children by between 54 per cent and 80 per cent.
“All parents are to always place their children in a proper child restraint on every ride.
“By improving parents’ awareness and facilitating changes in behaviour, deaths and fatal injuries may be prevented. As the preferred healthcare provider, Kuching Specialist Hospital is committed to improving the health and quality of life of our communities. We are becoming more creative and working more collaboratively to extend our reach and ensure our contributions make a difference to our communities,” said Dr David.
Meanwhile, according to the General Manager of Kuching Specialist Hospital, Nurhazimah Mahat, Buckle Up Baby! Campaign is a community-based intervention programme with the aim to educate parents and caretakers to promote public awareness of the safety benefits of children car seats.
“It is a new way for the hospital to reach out to the community and give back to the society.
“During the campaign, all newborns delivered at Kuching Specialist Hospital will
receive a free child safety seat worth RM340 to ensure a safe trip home.
“The hospital, in collaboration with lbu Pejabat Polis Daerah Kuching, will also conduct a free health talk on road safety and baby health this coming Saturday, 28 April and all members of the public are invited to the talk,” she added.
She stressed that children holds the future and parents have to keep their children safe while riding in a vehicle.
“Traffic crashes can happen any moment, don’t let your kid be a statistic. Buckle up your child on every ride, every time,” said Nurhazimah.
The campaign launching involved buckling a teddy bear into a child safety seat to symbolise love, safety and protection.
Among those present during the launching ceremony and press conference were Resident Consultants, Dr Tan Yiap Loong, Dr Wendy Loh Leh Hung, Dr Florence Bakon and Dr Lim Khwang Thong.
