Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has joined hands with a number of Qatari institutions in a fundraising campaign supervised by the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA) to mobilise national and international support for Gaza.
Under the theme of “Gaza Deserves to Live,” the drive is aimed at pushing forward the development and reconstruction of Gaza, whose 2mn population live in a severe calamity amid blockade and closure of border crossings for 10 years now.
The participating organisations are QRCS, Qatar Charity, Silatech, and Education Above All Foundation. Each organisation will do some aspects of humanitarian intervention based on its field of specialty and the needs of the people of Gaza.
QRCS will focus on the healthcare and water and sanitation sectors, two mandates in which it has a good track record whether in Gaza or in other countries.
With close co-ordination with local and international partners and strong relations with the local community, QRCS’ representation mission in Gaza outlined a plan of major development projects totaling QR52mn in value.
One of the projects include multi-specialty surgical operations (open heart surgery, urology, hematology and oncology, preterm birth), which will benefit a total of 11,960 patients at a cost of more than QR4mn.
QRCS will also donate ultrasound machines for 17 health primary healthcare centres, which will be used in maternal, pediatric, and health reproduction care, with more than 55,000 beneficiaries. The new equipment will cost QR1,470,500.
Some 10 dialysis machines for the Al-Shifaa Hospital's Dialysis Unit, at a cost of QR1,084,500, will also be purchased, as well as basic medicines for 650 kidney patients for six months, at a cost of QR867,300.
QRCS will also take care of spare parts for ambulance vehicles and power generators, at a cost of QR420,000, in addition to medicines and fuel for hospitals at a cost of QR4,200,000. These provisions will serve a population of 30,000 in the target areas.
Equipment for 25 health centres used for conducting surveys of hearing disorder treatment among infants from 0 to 5 years of age, estimated at 50,000 children per year, will be made available.
Some 100 medical professionals will also be trained in early detection of hearing disability and hearing aids will be provided for 600 children, apart from cochlear implants for 300 children found to have congenital hearing disability. The expected budget amounts to QR24,375,000.
Part of QRCS’ projects include rainwater collection ponds in western Khan Younus, which will serve 80,000 population (QR2,182,700); rainwater collection and purification systems (QR11,362,450) to secure irrigation and household water for 227,294 people; sewage network in the neighborhood of the sewage pumping station to serve 150,000 people (QR2,208,250); and development of the solid medical waste management system at 32 primary health care clinics (13 clinics of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and two departments of the Al-Shifaa Hospital). The development process will need QR722,700 funding.
