Dubai sends 24.88 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Beirut
A plane with more than 43 tonnes of medical equipment left Dubai on Wednesday to help Bierut’s hospitals following the deadly port explosion last week which left thousands wounded.
Syringes, bandages and surgical gowns were among the supplies on-board which was worth more than Dh2 million.
At Dubai’s International Humanitarian City, 180 pallets were loaded on trucks for the cargo flight, which took off about 5:45 pm and was flown free of charge on the orders of the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
The aid was supplied by the WHO and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies in co-ordination with the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
Teams on the group worked through the night preparing the packages at warehouses in International Humanitarian City – where dozens of aid agencies are based.
Helping Lebanon’s hospitals
23 tonnes of supplies have been distributed to help hospitals treat about 2,000 patients.
Ms Arralla said: “We are offering medical trauma kits and surgical kits containing things such as syringes, bandages and surgical gowns.”
“Overnight we doubled the quantity as more information about the situation came in.”
“We loaded 94 pallets of PPE on to five trucks. That’s about 20 metric tonnes in total,” George Maina, warehouse manager for IFRC, said.
“We were able to move quickly and our teams worked through the night to prepare the freight, which will soon reach thousands of beneficiaries in Lebanon.
“International Humanitarian City donated the flight, which will carry the items and they provided us with free transport to move the supplies to the airport.”
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, said the UAE would stand by its neighbours in times of need.
“The UAE’s commitment to [providing] various forms of support in such situations underlines our solidarity with all brotherly and friendly countries in time of crises,” Ms Al Hashimy said.
“We will work to assess the situation to evaluate what further assistance we can provide.”
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces said the UAE is preparing to offer more support to those worst affected by the deadly blast.
The Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and chairman of Emirates Red Crescent will monitor the delivery of this assistance.
It includes medicine and medical equipment, and dietary supplements for children.
The Red Crescent said the aircraft would depart at a later time.
It said the focus would be on medical supplies to help Lebanese clinics during a hugely challenging period.
The UAE has offered a huge outpouring of support and sympathy to Lebanon following the blast.
Khalaf Al Habtoor, founding chairman of Al Habtoor Group, has pledged a month’s worth of urgent medical supplies for hospitals in the country with more than 1,000 beds.
And the Khalaf Al Habtoor Hospital at Hrar, in northern Lebanon, will open auxiliary treatment support for patients who are unable to be accommodated in Beirut hospitals.
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