Footballers to be trained in saving lives

ABU DHABI // The Red Crescent Authority wants everyone from football players to office workers to be given first-aid training. Its aim was announced yesterday at the first meeting in the Middle East-North Africa region of the Community Based Health and First Aid Programme, which teaches officials, volunteers and the public how to deal with emergencies. "Our role as Red Crescent is not just to give out money and goods to poor people," said Ahmad al Mazrouei, the chairman of the RCA.

"We want to build programmes that will solve the problems, starting from awareness running through health programmes and training of the community as a whole." The authority plans to establish partnerships with private and governmental organisations, he said. The authority is surveying communities to find out what health issues they face. @Email:hdajani@thenational.ae