The Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA; ) is a humanitarian society that provides

emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

in five administrative regions of the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. It was founded in 1934 under the name Saudi Red Crescent Association, which was later amended to Saudi Red Crescent Authority in 2008. By 2009, the Society had 447 First Aid Centers, run by 5,507 staff, with 1300

ambulances An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...

which are distributed in all hospitals and centres around the country. The Red Crescent has a particular role to play during

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

(the annual pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

), providing on-the-spot first aid and using its fleet of vehicles (1300 in 2009) to take emergency cases to the nearest medical facility. The Saudi Red Crescent Authorities offer

medical service Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is deliver ...

of first aid to those in the kingdom in ordinary circumstances and at time of catastrophes. The Authority contributes relief work inside the Kingdom and abroad. In 2009, the Saudi Red Crescent Authority launched the Saudi Air Ambulance, a fleet of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

Establishment of the National Medical Emergency Association

It was the first independent medical entity in the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, as no previous organizational association for ambulatory services existed before the year of 1934. That idea to form the authority arose due to the war between Saudi Arabia and

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. Battles broke out in mountains of

Asir Asir, officially the Aseer Province, is a province of Saudi Arabia in southern Arabia. It has an area of , and an estimated population of 2,024,285 (in 2022). Asir is bounded by the Mecca Province to the north and west, al-Bahah Province to the ...

and

Tihamah Tihamah or Tihama ( ') is the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb. Etymology Tihāmat is the Proto-Semitic language's term for 'sea'. Tiamat (or Tehom, in masculine form) was the ancient M ...

coasts where no convenient facilities or medical supplies for the wounded civilians and militants were available. The need was also recognized to transport patients from their homes or roadsides when experiencing an emergency.

Ambulance Charity Association

As the government of the late King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz believed in the necessity of providing ambulatory

medical care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is deliver ...

the idea of establishing the association for provision of ambulance transport was proposed in the year of 1934. They noticed in Mecca the difficulties encountered by pilgrims while performing

rituals.

Heatstroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun-stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, ...

, exhaustion due to diseases and the age issues afflicted pilgrims and their families at the time. Those problems increased as the numbers of pilgrims increased, the problem of illness, death, and delays in medical referral among pilgrims was recognized as a problem.

References

External links

Official website

Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Red Crescent and Red Cross Club
{{Portal, Saudi Arabia Medical and health organisations based in Saudi Arabia Air ambulance services in Saudi Arabia 1935 establishments in Saudi Arabia Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies