Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) provided 14 new ultrasound machines to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip as part of its project to support and develop radiological services in these centres.
In a statement released on Tuesday, QRCS said that this supportive project, which costs about QR1,190,000 and includes the implementation of training for medical staff, comes to ensure the provision of quality services.
Director of the Women's Centre at the Primary Health Centres in Gaza Dr Nahla Halas said that care services for pregnant women are provided in 28 health centres in all governorates of the Gaza Strip.
She pointed out that the recent years have witnessed great suffering as a result of the lack of "ultrasound" machines.
In relation to quality, the old ultrasound machines gave unclear and inaccurate results.
Many pregnant women had to visit health centres in distant places, or even to seek costly services at private medical clinics, she explained.
With QRCS's latest project, Dr Halas expected lower fetal morbidity and mortality rates, as well as more pregnant women visiting health centres, instead of outpatient and obstetrics departments at public hospitals.
For his part, Executive Director of Relief and International Development at QRCS Dr Mohamed Salah Ibrahim considered the enhancement of the health sector a "top priority for QRCS's interventions in Gaza".
"Over a decade, we have contributed greatly to the healthcare services provided for our Palestinian brothers and sisters, by supporting the medical professionals, facilities, equipment, supplies, and community health education," he added.
In the face of persistently difficult living conditions, Dr Ibrahim called upon all the individual and institutional donors in Qatar to continue to help the vulnerable in Gaza.
