LONDON: Qatar sent 12 tons of advanced medical equipment this week aboard an air force plane to support hospitals in the Syrian Arab Republic as Damascus recovers from over a decade of civil war.
Sidra Medicine and other Qatari organizations delivered the aid shipment as part of Doha’s Syria Abshiri humanitarian initiative, which aims to enhance the capacity of Syrian hospitals.
The shipment included ventilators, portable incubators for newborns, dialysis machines, anesthesia and imaging equipment, cardiac and oxygen monitoring systems, as well as advanced radiology and laboratory analysis devices.
Syrian Health Minister Musab Al-Ali announced that the latest aid is part of an agreement with Doha to deliver medical equipment through land and air routes. He added that 90 tons of Qatari aid have arrived so far and will be distributed to approximately 50 hospitals, the SANA news agency reported.
Yousef bin Ali Al-Khater, head of the Qatari Red Crescent, said that the Syria Abshiri initiative highlights the strong ties between the two peoples and is part of a broader effort to rehabilitate Syria’s healthcare sector.
President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Dr. Hazem Baqleh announced that this shipment signifies the start of ongoing support efforts from Qatar, while Dr. Wael Daghmash, the director of health in Damascus, said it represents “a new hope” for both patients and medical staff, SANA added.
