Dubai: It's 11.30am and a fire breaks out at the Flamingo Hotel. Within minutes, the police, followed by firemen, arrive on the scene. An ambulance also rushes to the spot. Paramedics swoop down on an injured boy, check his vital signs and administer first aid. The boy is transferred to a stretcher and into the ambulance, which brings him to the emergency room.
As children between the ages of six and 16 go about these activities at Kidzania, the 80,000-square-foot edutainment zone for kids at The Dubai Mall, the role play gets a new dimension at the ‘emergency room', thanks to Drs Nicolas & Asp, a Dubai-based medical and dental chain, which recently took over its [room] ‘management'.
The children are all ears as the two ‘zoopervisors' give them step-by-step directions to attend to the patient who has just been brought in. From monitoring the little boy's BP and checking for limb movement to administering a saline solution drip and wrapping a fallen tooth in a wet towel, they carefully follow the instructions given to them, enjoying every bit of the commanding position they are in.
Opportunities
"We are strong advocates of child care and the emergency room at Kidzania gives us an opportunity to explain the concept of safety in a medical or dental emergency," said Dr Elhami Nicolas, CEO, Drs Nicolas & Asp, adding that the dental edutainment package is a new addition to the programme that existed earlier.
Giving an example, he said teaching children and their parents to preserve a fallen permanent tooth in a wet towel can save the tooth as it can be re-implanted if a dentist is contacted within an hour. Will Edwards, ‘Governor' of Kidzania, under Emaar Retail, said: "The programmes play out different paramedic cases and require the use of props which are both educational and fun."
"Cool," said Hamzeh, one of the little paramedics who helped treat Ali, a patient whose injuries in the Flamingo Hotel fire were simulated. "I want to become a doctor when I grow older," said five-year-old Rashmi. "Where's my money," asked Antonio, six, referring to the eight kidzos, Kidzania's mock currency, which the children get to earn when they perform such activities. It was his third visit to the emergency room, he said.
