Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has signed a cooperation agreement with Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS), launching a project to provide medications for cancer patients in Gaza, with a total budget of $800,000 (QR 2,916,000).
The agreement was signed by HE the Secretary-General of QRCS ambassador Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi, and the President of KRCS Dr. Hilal Musaed Al Sayer.
The project is co-funded as follows: $500,000 from KRCS with support from Kuwait Finance House (KFH) and $300,000 from QRCS.
Both parties are working together to address the difficult humanitarian conditions of cancer patients in Gaza, as a prolonged blockade and repeated wars had negative impacts on the health system the whole population, QRCS said in a statement, adding that the 10-month project will be implemented by QRCS's representation office in Gaza.
Al Hammadi said, "This agreement is part of our humanitarian coordination with national, regional, and international organizations, with a view to providing relief aid and implementing development projects to improve the lives of those affected by natural disasters. Of course, one of the major partners is KRCS, which has already cooperated with us on many projects with a long-term developmental impact, notably the large-scale shelter and health care projects for Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh."
For QRCS, he asserted that Gaza is a top priority, and it works there through a representation office inaugurated in 2008 to meet the needs of the Palestinian people, especially amid war, blockade, and crossing closures. He added, "This intervention translated into over 80 projects, with a cost of more than $107 million, covering many humanitarian sectors, such as emergency relief, health, water and sanitation, education, services for people with disabilities, livelihood support, shelter, and environmental conservation," he added.
In a statement, Dr. Al Sayer said, "KRCS is a typical supporter of cancer patients, particularly those who cannot afford the high cost of treatment. The purpose of the agreement with QRCS is to supply the much-needed chemotherapy medicines for patients in Gaza."
He valued humanitarian partnership with QRCS and stressed the importance of alleviating the suffering of poor patients. "There is a serious shortage of vital medications in Gaza, which is a threat to the therapeutic protocols given to the patients. Gaza is desperate for cancer drugs, while the number of people affected by this live-threatening disease is on the rise," he warned.
Dr. Al Sayer expressed his deep thanks to KFH for contributing to the project. According to him, KRCSs plans in this respect are well in progress, thanks to the concerted efforts with QRCS towards their humanitarian mission in Palestine, especially in Gaza.
"Year after year, the volume of aid is growing, and the size of work is redoubled, by virtue of the well-deserved trust of donors in KRCS. We remain committed to helping poor patients with medications and costs of treatment. Humanitarian, health care, and relief work requires more support to continue to serve those in need around the world," said Dr. Al Sayer.
Under the agreement, the project will help 8,644 cancer patients in Gaza to continue to receive therapeutic services at hospitals of the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH), by procuring the lacking vital medications. Also, it will save the patients the need to travel abroad for medical care.
A separate agreement will be signed by QRCS's office in Gaza and MOH to coordinate the procedures of identifying the required medication, announcing public tenders, awarding the contracts, and ensuring timely delivery.
