Kulluna promotes safety through giant kitchen at Doha Exhibition Center

The three-day road show featured an innovative 'giant kitchen' concept with the goal of highlighting the risks of potentially hazardous items present in the home environment which could be harmful to children.

Hundreds of concerned parents gathered to chat with medical professionals and safety experts experiencing hands-on the setup which successfully informed crowds while bringing a smile to their faces. Concurrently,children enjoyed a fun-filled day playing interactive educational games.

"It is a great idea to remind parents to be careful even in their own home, and learn about what dangers can be averted by putting in place simple safety measures.I will definitely take a deeper look at what I have in my kitchen," mother of three Salwa Nour said after a visit to the Kulluna booth.

Helping adults visualize possibly dangerous situations, the booth showcased a number of elements; an oven/cooker with frying pan handles and an electric kettle to demonstrate the risk of burns and scalds, high furniture presenting the risk of falls and injuries, reachable shelf units with heavy objects and cupboards with chemicals that could cause poisoning.

"Each year more than 40,000 children aged 14 and under suffer injuries at home. In fact, about 80 % of all of these injuries that occur at home and are preventable," Dr. Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, Director of the HITC, said.

"Whilst many safety issues are being dealt with and regulated by clearly defined sections within the government, it appears that the same can not be said for water safety, specially swimming pools" said Dr Khalid Abdulnoor. Dr Khalid also stated that this concern must be addressed as a matter of urgency and that Kulluna is keen to share the concern with any relevant agency or section within Qatar. To help drive this, Dr khalid also stressed the importance of members of the public who experienced any unfortunate water related incidences to share with us their stories so we can make a stronger case for the need to regulate swimming pool and water safety in our beloved country.

Kulluna previously held three road shows at Doha's biggest malls, City Center, Landmark and Villagio, successfully raising awareness of the most crucial health and safety issues posing threats in day-to-day activities.

"We are dedicated to continuing our efforts to support the State of Qatar's interest in improving health and safety among Qataris and expats, and appreciate the HITC's successive drives in this regard. This phase of the road show activities further highlighted this commitment enhanced by being held within the context of the Doha Trade Fair which receives tens of thousands of visitors and is one of the highlights of the community's activities," ConocoPhillips Qatar President Gary Sykes explained.

The Kulluna campaign aims to inform the publicabout preventable injuries and illnesses, to improve health and wellbeing, and give information about the medical services and facilities offered by government healthcare provider Hamad Medical Corporation.

'Kulluna' means 'all of us' and is based on the belief that everyone can take action to improve health, wellbeing and safety for themselves, their family and the community.