Al Manhal, part of TechKnowledge General Trading based in the United Arab Emirates, in cooperation with the Department of Hematology and Oncology for Children at the Royal Hospital in Oman and with the support of Ara Petroleum, a subsidiary of Al-Zubayr Group based in the Sultanate of Oman, have launched the free virtual library reading application ‘Royal Hospital Kids’ for children residing in the hospital to help children to bear and overcome the stages of treatment.
Several studies have shown the positive effect of reading on the speed of children's response to treatment and its effect on decreasing the length of their stay at the hospital.
The Royal Hospital Kids application, operated by Al Manhal and using one of its specialized products for children, Nahla wa Nahil, offers hundreds of interactive stories that children can listen to and read, as well as educational games and various worksheets.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Ghaithi, Head of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, explained that the Children's Library application was a dream for many children and their families. Reading, in addition to being an educational skill, is one of the easiest and most enjoyable hobbies that children can maintain during their treatment. Many children and their families enjoy reading for leisure, and reading is an inspiration to many people through heroic characters and their achievements in novels and stories. This is undoubtedly a positive motivation for children and their families to follow the treatment plan.
Osama Alzadjali, Communication and Corporate Affairs Manager of Ara Petroleum, said: "The energy companies are distinguished by their contribution to various charitable projects. The children of the Department of Oncology and Hematology at the Royal Hospital are receiving our focus this year. This is in the interest of the health of today's children, who are the pillars of our society of tomorrow, and the youth of the future. The idea of this application, keeping up with modern technologies while contributing to drawing smiles on children's faces, and in the development of reading skills as well, is one of our priorities.
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Dr. Al-Ghaithi added that the medical staff hopes that the application will develop to include some educational curricula in the future so that children can continue their academic achievement while in the hospital.
He also praised the role of Ara Petroleum Company, one of the Al-Zubair Group companies, specialized in the field of energy, in launching the application. Their sponsorship and funding of the smart application project for the departments of Hematology and Oncology at the Royal Hospital has made it possible.
Mohamed Al-Baghdadi, Chairman of TechKnowledge, said: "We are very pleased with the presence of institutions that support and are interested in providing such solutions to all who need them. The idea of offering free reading to sick children was a long-standing idea. We were introduced to similar experiences in large international hospitals and we dreamed of presenting the idea within a technological innovation framework that is in line with the technological development of our children.”
“So, based on our partnership with the Royal Hospital, we decided to present the idea of the project to them, which received great attention from the management of the hospital, and to launch the application with the magnificent efforts of all the concerned parties.”
Each child in the hospital will be able to download the RH application free of charge from the Apple App Store or Google Play. They can then scan the login code that’s found on a sticker on the hospital bed to enjoy hundreds of stories that have been selected specifically for different subjects and age levels. The application is supported by Nahla wa Nahil, a system designed to develop the love of Arabic reading for children through a variety of features that generate enthusiasm and add fun for children.
About Nahla wa Nahil
Nahla wa Nahil is the first platform for reading and understanding in Arabic for children between 4 and 11 years of age at all levels of reading. It includes hundreds of books grouped by age level, published by leading educational publishing houses in the Middle East. The books are also available as audio books using advanced technologies to help children with correct pronunciation. Nahla wa Nahil is a 2019 GESS Education Award winner.
About the Royal Hospital
The Royal Hospital, which was inaugurated in December 1987, is one of the most distinguished hospitals in the field of providing health services at the tertiary and referral level in various health specialties. The hospital's services are specialized in the fields of general medicine, surgery, children, women and obstetrics, oncology, and medical laboratories. The hospital is also one of the most important achievements of the modern Sultanate of Oman under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.