Qatar Charity (QC) has begun implementing more than 800 specialised surgical procedures in Syria as part of its global “Defaa Balaa” campaign, launched on the 27th night of the holy month of Ramadan.
The initiative is being carried out in co-operation and co-ordination with the Syrian ministry of health, beginning at Al-Mouwasat Hospital in Damascus, in the presence of Qatar’s ambassador to Syria Khalifa bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud.
The medical interventions are in response to growing health needs in Syria and form part of the QC’s efforts to ease the suffering of patients who cannot afford treatment.
The project provides specialised surgeries designed to save lives, restore sight and hearing, and help patients recover their health and return to normal life.
The current phase includes 750 cataract surgeries, along with medical eyeglasses for beneficiaries; 70 surgeries to treat congenital heart defects in children; 10 open-heart surgeries; and six cochlear implant procedures.
More than 830 patients from the governorates of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Idlib are expected to benefit from the project.
“What Qatar Charity is providing today, in co-operation with the Syrian ministry of health, through specialised surgeries that restore hope to hundreds of patients and their families, is an extension of a well-established humanitarian approach and a model of Qatari charitable work whose impact reaches the most vulnerable groups wherever they are,” said al-Mahmoud.
Issam Dabbab, director of Qatar Charity’s office in Syria, noted that many of the surgeries planned under the project represent the only hope for saving patients’ lives or improving their quality of life.
Wael Daghmash, director of the Damascus Health Directorate, said: “At the ministry of health, we believe that effective humanitarian partnerships are a key pillar in strengthening health services, especially under the current circumstances.”
“We highly value this generous support, which helps ease the burden on patients unable to afford treatment and strengthens the health system’s capacity to respond to citizens’ needs,” he said.
The surgeries are part of the “Defaa Balaa” campaign, which the QC launched globally on the 27th night of Ramadan.
Through this initiative, Qatar Charity reaffirms its commitment to advancing its humanitarian work in the health sector by providing specialised treatment for the most vulnerable groups and strengthening partnerships with national health authorities.