Ahed Najjar

No one is safe anymore. Rich or poor, whatever your status in life, safety is an issue everywhere in the world. An emergency drill held at a five-star hotel in Dubai illustrated this point after staff members failed two out of three medical emergency scenarios. The drill was led by Ahed Al Najjar, Middle East and Africa Training Manager for International SOS MEA, Dubai, an ECSI Educational Center.

The drill, held by the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS), involved several scenarios in which heart attacks were simulated to see how quickly hotel staff members responded. Although hotels in Dubai are advised by both the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and DOHMS to have at least one AED on hand, staff members performed poorly in various drills. It was determined by Najjar and others that the problems stemmed from the lack of staff members who were trained to use the AED and the lack of program awareness.

DTCM and DOHMS looked to address the deficiencies by creating the AED Implementation Project in conjunction with various government agencies and the hotel industry. In 2007 regulation was passed to support the findings of the project. Here are some of the recommendations:

Any hotel establishment that practices its activity in the Emirates of Dubai shall provide an AED at the main reception hall, sports clubs, and other buildings in which activity is practiced.
Hotel establishments must provide a person, available 24 hours a day, that has completed Basic Life Support (BLS) training, including first aid and CPR.
No new hotel establishments shall start receiving guests until they provide the required aid services, and administrative penalties shall be imposed on any hotel establishment that does not provide adequate aid services.
It was concluded that placing an AED in a workplace, home, or community setting is an essential component of onsite emergency medical readiness. The program should contribute to a reduction in sudden cardiac deaths in Dubai and throughout the Middle East.

In addition to his role as an AHA Regional Faculty and Training Manager for International SOS MEA, Ahed Al Najjar is also an EMS International Consultant of the CHEERS Foundation in Philippines and an EMS assessor with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Philippines. He has spoken at several international conferences and is a member of the National Association of EMS Educators, National Association of EMTs, and Center of Emergency Medicine. In summer 2006 he was the Emergency Medical Consultant for United Nations-UNOPS in Kabul