Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has signed a co-operation agreement with Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society (KRCS), launching a project to provide medications for cancer patients in Gaza, with a total budget of $800,000 (about QR2,916,000).
The agreement was signed by Ali bin Hassan al-Hammadi, secretary-general of QRCS, and Dr Hilal Musaed al-Sayer, president of KRCS. The project is co-funded, with $500,000 coming from KRCS with support from Kuwait Finance House (KFH) and $300,000 from QRCS.
The two parties are working together to address the difficult humanitarian conditions of cancer patients in Gaza, as a prolonged blockade and repeated wars had a negative impact on the health system, QRCS said in a statement. The 10-month project will be implemented by QRCS’ representation office in Gaza.
Al-Hammadi said, “This agreement is part of our humanitarian co-ordination with national, regional and international organisations, 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 co-operated with us on many projects with a long-term developmental impact, notably the large-scale shelter and healthcare projects for Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh”.
For QRCS, he asserted, Gaza is a top priority. 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 $107mn, covering many humanitarian sectors, such as emergency relief, health, water and sanitation, education, services for people with disabilities, livelihood support, shelter and environmental conservation."
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, KRCS’ 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, healthcare and relief work requires more support to continue to serve those in need around the world,” added 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’ office in Gaza and the MoH to co-ordinate the procedures of identifying the required medication, announcing public tenders, awarding the contracts and ensuring timely delivery.
The two parties are working together to address the difficult humanitarian conditions of cancer patients in Gaza, as a prolonged blockade and repeated wars had a negative impact on the health system, QRCS said in a statement. The 10-month project will be implemented by QRCS’ representation office in Gaza.
Al-Hammadi said, “This agreement is part of our humanitarian co-ordination with national, regional and international organisations, 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 co-operated with us on many projects with a long-term developmental impact, notably the large-scale shelter and healthcare projects for Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh”.
For QRCS, he asserted, Gaza is a top priority. 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 $107mn, covering many humanitarian sectors, such as emergency relief, health, water and sanitation, education, services for people with disabilities, livelihood support, shelter and environmental conservation."
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, KRCS’ 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, healthcare and relief work requires more support to continue to serve those in need around the world,” added 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’ office in Gaza and the MoH to co-ordinate the procedures of identifying the required medication, announcing public tenders, awarding the contracts and ensuring timely delivery.