Doha: Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) signed three agreements with Palestine Red Crescent (PRC) to conduct specific programmes and services worth nearly $400,000 for Palestinians following the recent war in Gaza.
The planned projects include the purchase of two ambulance vehicles at a cost of $144,000, improvement of clinical rehabilitation services at Al Amal Hospital, Khan Younes at a cost of $115,000 and psychological rehabilitation and support for victims of the Israeli aggression on Gaza at a cost of $135,000, a press release issued by QRC said yesterday.
QRC Secretary-General Saleh bin Ali Al Mohannadi said: “We are proud of our strong partnership with PRC, especially as its staff kept serving the Palestinians despite the bombings and destruction during the war. As such, we are keen on supporting it to continue its services for Palestine’s needy and distressed people.”
Dr Akram Nassar, Head of QRC Office in Gaza, said: “We will soon initiate the clinical rehabilitation support project at the southern-Gaza Al Amal Hospital, as it is the only hospital that still provides medical rehabilitation and support services following the destruction of Al Wafaa Medical Hospital in Gaza.”
This project, Dr Nassar added, is critically needed for Gaza patients. QRC will boost the capacity of the medical rehabilitation section at Al Amal Hospital to meet the increasing needs and accommodate the large numbers of Palestinian injuries and patients.
Inaugurated in June 2013 by QRC, the Al Amal Hospital’s medical rehabilitation section offered rehabilitation and support services for more than 200 cases in the enclave.
Talking about the major role of the psychological rehabilitation and support for the victims of the aggression, Dr Fathi Fleifil, Director, PRC Psychological Health Division, described the project as positive, as it will provide emergency psychological support for the victims of the war, such as injured people, families of martyrs, children, and displaced people, as well as enhance the performance and skills of PRC psychological service providers, who have direct contact with the public.
“We have already begun the execution of the project, by contracting four psychotherapists from the West Bank to provide psychological services for 135 psychological and social advisors who engaged in field action during and after the aggression, and whose persistency resulted in the continuation of field visits to the groups most affected by the war,” he added.
The Peninsula
