DOHA: Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has signed a three-year partnership agreement with Al Asmakh Charity Foundation to establish a $21.7m hospital in Dura in Hebron Governorate, West Bank, in coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The hospital is estimated to cost $21,702,750 (QR78,976,300), with Al Asmakh Charity contributing $3,000,000 and pledging more donations during the three-year project. QRC will undertake field work in three construction phases and four furnishing and operation phases.
The agreement was signed by Saleh bin Ali Al Mohannadi, Secretary-General, QRC, and Dr Ghanem bin Mohamed Al Hamadi, Chairman, Al Asmakh Charity, who was accompanied by Jassem Salem Al Ansari, Board Adviser, and Ibrahim Mohamed, Programme Director.
The hospital aims to provide services in a central area in the southern West Bank where there are no hospitals to serve the 500,000 population. Every day, tens of patients die as Hebron is far away.
A 21,000sqm plot has been allocated for the project by a Palestinian donor, in the middle of southern towns. The 200-bed project will serve the towns of Hebron, As Samu’, Dura, Dhahiriya and Yatta and the Fawwar refugee camp.
“Signing the agreement with Al Asmakh Charity is a new milestone of cooperation between both organisations in pursuit of their common humanitarian mission in light of Al Asmakh’s efforts to mobilise the community and support in Palestine and QRC’s many relief and development projects for Palestinians,” Al Mohannadi said. He said Qatar continues to support the people of Palestine through its government and NGOs, standing by them at times of peace and war as was the case during and following the latest war on Gaza.
“Palestine is the Arab world’s major cause. We have sought to adopt a plan to support the Palestinian people, with a practical approach to improve all aspects of their life, mainly education, healthcare, and development,” Dr Al Hamadi said.
This is not the first instance of cooperation between QRC and Al Asmakh Charity. They have had joint humanitarian projects in several countries, the newest of which was providing Gaza government hospitals with materials for cardiovascular surgeries and 14 types of medicines of up to 600 packages worth QR500,000 which helped treat hundreds of cardiovascular patients.
The Peninsula
