Beirut, August 7, 2019
Bank Audi announced the delivery of an additional fleet of motorbikes in the context of the Moto Ambulance project pertaining to the Directorate General of the Lebanese Civil Defense, launched in collaboration with the UNDP’s Live Lebanon initiative, CHAMPS Fund, the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, LBCI, and the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) in Lebanon.
The handover that has comprised 10 bikes, part of a grant covering a total of 56 units, was held today at the Lebanese Civil Defense’s headquarters in Tehouita, Mount Lebanon. The motorbikes will be distributed across the following regions: Byblos, Batroun, Tripoli, Hadath, Damour, Saida, Tyre, Aley, Zahleh and Baalbeck.
Heavy traffic in our major cities being the main barrier to the quick and efficient arrival of emergency medical services, those medical motorcycles equipped with first-aid kits and driven by trained staff will arrive before regular ambulances to stabilise victims, deliver quick assistance and increase their chances of survival.
Mr. Jean Traboulsi, Bank Audi’s Head of Marketing & Communications, stated how glad and proud the Bank is to collaborate in saving lives with the different parties involved in this project namely the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, UNDP and LBCI, reiterating the Bank’s decision to increase its participation in this project to reach a total of 56 bikes.
UNDP’s Live Lebanon Goodwill Ambassador Mrs. Saada Fakhry expressed how happy she was about participating in this project and contributing to its a success seen its human nature and how it benefits all age groups and Lebanese regions. She added that the speed in which a moto ambulance arrives to the accident site, 3 minutes at least before a regular ambulance, helped and helps save lives, as a minute of time can significantly increase the efficiency of a rescue.
In turn, UNDP’s Live Lebanon Goodwill Ambassador Mr. Ghaleb Farha affirmed that he had participated in many major and special UNDP projects, highlighting the importance of the Moto Ambulance initiative and the partnership between Live Lebanon and Bank Audi. He announced that this collaboration further supports development, creates job opportunities, and improves lives, all while helping meet Sustainable Development Goals, namely SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities).
General Raymond Khattar, General Director of the Lebanese Civil Defense, seized the occasion to indicate that the first phase of the project had consisted in the delivery of 6 fully equipped moto ambulances with almost 162 emergency missions successfully accomplished to date. He added: “We are receiving 10 motorbikes today and will train our staff on driving them and performing first aid before receiving 40 additional ones. We are about to deploy this project to all various Civil Defense stations and departments across Lebanon, mainly in areas that suffer from heavy traffic.
General Khattar said that the Civil Defense has carried out yesterday its first drill by extinguishing the flames of a car on fire in Ashrafieh, Beirut, through a portable extinguishing device that can be carried by the firefighters and transported on the bikes. He emphasized the importance of this device technically and practically, hoping all vehicles are fitted with paramedical and firefighting equipment, which broadens their scope of services and allows them to respond faster to emergencies and thus save more lives.