Gulf Air launches new onboard channel 'Helwa Ya Bahrain'

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, at a joint press conference held at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) today, launched a new onboard channel called "Helwa Ya Bahrain" further supplementing the airline’s extensive inflight entertainment offering with a dedicated channel showcasing Bahraini productions and featuring a health programme with a newly produced RCSI Bahrain instructional video on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) procedures.
Available onboard all Gulf Air flights starting 01st September, Helwa Ya Bahrain will showcase Bahraini productions and will initially have two sets of programmes: the popular Bahraini TV show "Sawalef Tafash" and "Bahrain Health" a health programme with a variety of instructional features including a first aid video on CPR procedures that was produced by RCSI Bahrain.
A survey in November 2013 carried out by RCSI Bahrain found that almost one third of the public in Bahrain had witnessed a person in cardiac arrest. RCSI Bahrain acknowledged the public’s eagerness for training in CPR and came up with the idea to produce the video in Arabic. Increasing the number of the public trained in CPR has the potential to save lives and strengthens community safety in Bahrain. The CPR video features famous Bahrain footballers: Humood Sultan and Mohamed Salmeen, along with RCSI Bahrain Community Engagement volunteers.
Gulf Air’s Director of Corporate Affairs & Communications, Mr. Mohammed Amin Hulaiwah commented at the press conference: "As the Kingdom’s national carrier we are delighted to give our passengers the opportunity to enjoy locally-produced shows – whether for entertainment or public service. We hope our passengers will enjoy and learn from watching our newest channel and we promise them many more exciting additions to our inflight entertainment offering in the very near future."
Commenting on their participation and support of Helwa Ya Bahrain’s "Bahrain Health" programme, Professor Sameer Otoom, President, RCSI Bahrain said: "We are delighted to have this collaboration with Gulf Air, bringing us onboard and giving us the opportunity to showcase this important public awareness video. As an institution dedicated to enhancing health in Bahrain we are delighted to extend our support to this worthy endeavour and look forward to reaching a global audience."
Nursing Lecturer Ms Orla Merrigan, who came up with the concept for the video said "this is an excellent opportunity for us to educate the public on the new hands-only guidelines when undertaking CPR in an emergency situation".
Available onboard all Gulf Air flights starting 01st September, Helwa Ya Bahrain will showcase Bahraini productions – giving travelers a glimpse into life in the Kingdom through a variety of informative and entertainment programming.