Mulago casualty ward receives wheeler beds from Prudential Uganda, Redcross

Kampala– As part of the SAFE STEPS road safety campaign, Prudential Uganda and Prudence Foundation on Monday donated 10-wheeler beds to Mulago hospital’s casualty ward (Accident and Emergency) and over 800 safety helmets to boda boda riders.

Launched in September this year, SAFE STEPS is a public service programme aimed at raising awareness about road safety by providing clear and simple life-saving messages on road safety. In Uganda, the campaign is being implemented in partnership with the Uganda Red Cross Society.

Speaking at the event held at Mulago hospital on Monday, Marc Fancy, the Executive Director of Prudence Foundation said Prudence Foundation aims to raise awareness, provide information and lasting solutions to life-threatening issues in the hope of saving lives and building more resilient communities.

“Statistics show that globally, 1.35m people are killed on roads every year and around 3.5m people die every year due to unintentional injuries. To be able to contribute to care for bodaboda riders involved in road accidents is a direct contribution towards the reduction of unintentional injuries and we are excited to be able to contribute to this,” he said.

While receiving the wheeler beds on behalf of the Executive Director Mulago hospital, Dr. Norbert Orwotho representative of Mulago ED commended Prudence Foundation and Prudential Uganda for the donation which he said is timely.

“Surgical and medical emergency areas receive averagely between 150 and 200 patients on a daily. And therefore the demand for these facilities is very high. This will go a long way in facilitating our patient care.” Said Dr. Orwotho

While officiating at the event, Dr. John Baptist Waniye, the Commissioner for Emergency Medical Services-Ministry of Health said road traffic accidents injuries are the 7th leading cause of death in Ugandan health facilities.

Dr. Waniye called for caution by boda boda riders and passengers to reduce the burden of road traffic injuries in health facilities. “You should use a helmet when you are riding on a boda boda, you should also regulate your boda boda to drive safely. The boda boda riders should be cautious and follow road safey rules.” Advised Dr. Waniye

Some of the helmets that were given to boda boda riders at an earlier event held at Uganda Museum on Monday

 

SAFE STEPS was created and developed by Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential, in partnership with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Didier Drogba Foundation, working with Didier Drogba as the Safe Steps Africa ambassador.

Prudential and Prudence Foundation are implementing this programme in Uganda in partnership with Uganda Red Cross Society, targeting 10,000 boda-boda riders within the Kampala Metropolitan Area (Kampala, Entebbe, Wakiso and Mukono). The campaign will run for six months starting 1st September 2022 to February 2023.

The Secretary General, Uganda Red Cross Society, Kwesiga Robert said, “At URCS, we are committed to road safety and recognize the rapid escalation of Uganda’s road safety crisis. Prudential Uganda’s partnership with URCS to implement the Safe Steps campaign by Prudence Foundation will go a long way in encouraging road safety and saving the lives of Ugandans”.

As the implementing partner of this campaign, URCS is ensuring that boda boda cyclists that undergo the Safe Steps skills-based training receive both road safety and first aid skills to equip them to not only prevent accidents on the road but also have an understanding of what to do in case of an accident. We also encourage all boda-boda cyclists and members of the general public to call our Toll-free line – 0800 211 088 that is manned by a Call and dispatch center to operate a fleet of 21 ambulances funded by the Ministry of Health and located on major highways countrywide with a sole purpose of responding to Road Traffic Accidents at no cost, Kwesiga added.

The campaign will also feature a series of 60-second public service announcement videos and educational posters featuring Safe Steps Road Safety Africa Ambassador, Didier Drogba, who offers advice on key road safety topics such as drunk driving, distracted driving, use of seat belts, respecting speed limits, motorcycles and pedestrians.

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