With COVID-19 surging in Sudan due to lack of health care facilities and ongoing natural disasters, Qatar has continued its efforts in providing humanitarian assistance to the flood-stricken country – a move that earned appreciation from the Sudanese minister of health this week.
The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) provided devices that will contribute to developing the health care system in al-Shamaliya and North Darfur in Sudan, said Al Fadel Amer, the Chairman of Steering Committee of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS).
In response to the delivery, Sudanese Minister of Health Dr. Osama Ahmed Abdel-Rahim thanked Qatar for its great support on Wednesday, noting Sudan has been in a state of emergency since COVID-19 spread in the country, and is still tackling several disasters.
Read more: Qatar sends urgent aid as flooded Sudan declares ‘national disaster’
On Thursday, QRCS also launched a fundraising campaign for an emergency response to the recent flash floods.
The new scheme, in partnership with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS), seeks to help 3,000 affected, a statement by QRCS said.
Since the start of the pandemic and since the floods ravaged large parts of the country, the QRCS has delivered a total of two batches to Khartoum that contained 12.5 tonnes of medical equipment and materials. The packages provided hospitals and quarantine centres with the necessary medical gear to treat COVID-19 patients, ensuring protection for Sudan’s medical professionals whole treating the patients.
Last Sunday, Sudan announced a three-month-long state of emergency and declared the country a “national disaster zone”.
More than 100,000 homes have been damaged in the flooding, according to Lena el-Sheikh, the country’s minister of labour and social development, noting this year’s rain and flooding has already broken records from 1946 and 1988.
Following the news, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamas Al Thani ordered urgent aid to be sent to the country.
Ambassador Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary-General of Qatar Red Crescent Society, expressed his support for QRCS’s cooperation with the SRCS and affirmed continuing Qatari humanitarian assistance to Sudan.