Doha: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) stepped into 2021 with a renewed spirit and high morale, following the participation of its medical professionals, volunteers, and relief workers in the National Day parade the previous year.
Happening for the first time, this was in recognition of their heroic efforts in supporting the government’s COVID-19 control efforts. During 2021, they continued to be at the forefront of fight against the virus, contributing to the vaccination and prevention activities.
QRCS’s development activities in Qatar skyrocketed in 2021, with the number of beneficiaries doubling to 128,242 . They included widows, orphans, patients, school students, persons with disability, and other vulnerable groups, with a total budget of QR22,301,400.
Among the major projects implemented by QRCS are: Ramadan provisions, Zakat Al Fitr, Eid clothing, Ramadan Iftar, monthly/emergency cash assistance, food vouchers, furniture, and household appliances, home repairs/maintenance, and repatriation flight tickets.
The list also includes food parcels, school meals, repayment of the debts of those heavily indebted, payment of home rentals, food aid from the sacrifice ritual of Eid Al Adha, treatment for poor patients, gifts for sick children, social care for expatriate workers, and capacity-building for penitentiary inmates, and first-aid and risk reduction training for school students.
At QRCS’s Medical Affairs Division, the number of beneficiaries was 2,407,617, with a budget of QR315,959,395. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provided medical coverage, first-aid care, and ambulance service.
EMS included medical coverage at sports events under an agreement with Aspetar, 24/7 medical coverage at the premises of Nakilat and Qatar Steel, and transportation of suspected COVID-19 cases to quarantine facilities, and operation of first-aid centres at Hyatt Plaza and Villaggio malls.
The Training and Development Center held first-aid and surface water rescue training courses for the public, as well as continuing professional development (CPD) courses for medical professionals. As regards health education, health awareness campaigns and lectures were held for employees and school students, and informative files and hygiene kits were distributed. In total, 62,183 persons benefited from these activities.
Under a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), QRCS operates four health centres and one medical commission unit for male expatriate workers and newcomers. They are located in the Industrial Area, Mesaimeer, Fereej Abdel-Aziz, and Zekreet. By end December, these health facilities had received a total of 1,098,296 patients.
At Mekaines Motel, QRCS’s doctors and nurses provided medical care services for 415,049 inmates in 2021. A total of 1,059,220 COVID-19 swabs were conducted at Mekaines Motel and the two swabbing units established at the Al Hemailah and Fereej Abdul-Aziz Workers’ Health Centers.
There was a capacity expansion of the field hospital, a mobile hospital deployed on-site immediately after a disaster, to provide preventive and treatment EMS. It was used to support government efforts securing the visitors of Al Khor Carnival, totalling 2,776 persons throughout the event.
Internationally, QRCS has partnerships with fellow national societies in host countries, under the umbrella of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It has 13 representation offices/missions in the countries most affected by natural disasters, armed conflicts, and difficult economic conditions.
Since the beginning of this year, QRCS has executed dozens of relief aid and development projects at a cost of QR267,052,359, for the benefit of 6,503,648 persons in 27 countries (Mali, Chad, Sudan, Gaza, Tajikistan, Yemen, Turkey, Egypt, Bangladesh, Mauritania, Afghanistan, West Bank, Somalia, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Indonesia, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Albania, Mongolia, Syria, Kenya, India, Ethiopia, and Sri Lanka).
As part of the medical convoy programme for 2021, QRCS deployed eight medical convoys that helped to treat 181,207 patients in Indonesia, Somalia (twice), Turkey, Iraq, Bangladesh, Gaza, and the West Bank. The total budget of these medical convoys amounted to QR5,791,555.
