As part of the efforts made by the Qatar government and humanitarian organisations to support the resilience of the people, institutions, and vital sectors of Syria, a high-level delegation from Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) arrived at Damascus International Airport Sunday.
The delegation was headed by QRCS president Yousef bin Ali al-Khater, secretary-general Faisal Mohamed al-Emadi, assistant secretary-general for Relief and International Development Mohamed Bader al-Sada, and assistant secretary-general for Communication and Resource Development Mohamed Ahmed al-Beshri.
They were received by Syria's Minister of Health Dr Musaab Nazzal al-Ali, Qatar embassy in Syria charge d'affaires Khalifa Abdullah al-Mahmoud, Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society (SARCS) president Dr Mohamed Hazem Bakleh, Damascus Health Directorate director Dr Wael Dagmash, representative of Syria’s ministry of foreign affairs and staff of the QRCS’s representation office in Türkiye.
The purpose of the humanitarian visit was to deliver a new batch of aid from Qatar under the “Take Heart Syria” initiative, containing medical equipment and supplies donated by Sidra Medicine, Al-Tafa’ol Trading Company, United International Trading Company, and Doha Health Care Group, in co-ordination with the QRCS, SARCS, and Syria’s ministry of health.
The delegation from Qatar arrived at Damascus International Airport aboard a Qatar Amiri Air Force aircraft, carrying 12 tonnes of critical and sophisticated medical equipment to help Syrian hospitals continue providing quality healthcare services for patients.
This airlift was preceded by three land aid convoys.
On August 28, a total of 22 aid trucks started to depart from the warehouses of Sidra Medicine and the QRCS in Doha in three batches.
The convoys travelled through Saudi Arabia and Jordan, ending in Syria, with 78 tonnes of aid.
Thus, the total volume of aid delivered under the initiative totaled 90 tonnes of medical equipment and supplies, at a value of over QR45mn.
In his keynote speech during the event, al-Khater, said: "These combined efforts were meant to send a message of solidarity to Syria, helping revitalise the Syrian healthcare sector and strengthening the capacity of its medical institutions to meet the needs of millions of Syrians.”
“Over the past years, the QRCS implemented large-scale projects and programmes covering various sectors, including health, shelter, emergency relief, food security, water and sanitation, and livelihoods, with a total value of $160mn,” he added. “More than 13mn people across the country benefited from these interventions”.
The QRCS president promised to keep working hard to ensure the delivery of more aid from Qatar to the people of Syria, as well as to intensify support to provide the Syrian health sector with the vital supplies needed for medical facilities.
“In the name of the Syrian government and people, I would like to welcome this medical shipment from the State of Qatar, through the QRCS,” said Syrian Health Minister Dr al-Ali. “This humanitarian initiative is not merely equipment and supplies, but rather a message of genuine solidarity, a new lease on life for our patients, and a renewed hope for our medical professionals, who continue to do their job despite the difficulties and challenges.”
Al-Mahmoud described the aid as a practical demonstration of Qatar’s unwavering commitment to supporting the Syrian people.
The SARCS’s Dr Bakleh said that the generous initiative represents the deep fraternal ties between the peoples of Syria and Qatar and best embodies the spirit of humanitarian solidarity.
Al-Emadi revealed that the aid shipment from Qatar contained X-ray, anaesthesia, and dialysis equipment; advanced laboratory testing equipment; vital signs monitoring machines; ventilators; incubators; radiography and laser imaging systems; plasma and biological storage freezers; cardiac and neurological monitoring devices; clinical decision support systems; stretchers; disinfection and protection tools; medical consumables; first-aid kits; and other equipment that covers a wide range of healthcare services, as an essential boost to rehabilitate medical infrastructure in Syria and enable hospitals to resume some of their suspended or limited services.
