Several QRCS medical programmes, convoys in pipeline for 2024

To ensure good health for vulnerable individuals and communities around the world, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is focusing on providing basic, emergency, and mental health care for poor people in affected areas; building the capacity of the local health sector; and supplying the necessary medications, medical equipment, and consumables.

QRCS aims to implement 49 health projects in 2024 costing QR 41,479,958 to treat 175,638 patients in 10 countries — Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank), Syria, Yemen, Niger, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.

These projects focus on the provision of medications, medical equipment, consumables, and ambulance vehicles; surgeries of various specialisations; dialysis sessions; hearing aids; wheelchairs and other mobility aids; deployment of mobile clinics/pharmacies to remote areas; and installation of solar panels at medical facilities.

QRCS has a year-round medical convoys programme that involves deploying volunteer doctors and nurses, with all the necessary medical equipment and supplies, to perform medical examinations and surgeries for poor patients in many countries. They provide comprehensive health care services that include diagnosis, treatment, and postoperative care, as well as health education programs to raise public health awareness and promote healthy and preventive practices.

This year, the programme comprises 22 medical convoys to treat 9,160 patients, at a cost of QR 15,539,200. Many specialisations are covered, including general surgery, urology, cochlear implants, cardiac catheterisation/surgery, laparoscopic surgery, neurosurgery, cataract surgery, obstetrics, and paediatrics. The target countries include Palestine (the West Bank), Syria, Yemen, Niger, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Iraq, and Chad.

QRCS has implemented 57 health interventions in 2023. At a cost of QR 58,336,279 (28% of total international spending), these activities helped 3,580,836 patients in Somalia, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Niger, Syria, and Mauritania.

Among the health interventions undertaken by QRCS during 2023 are the provision of medications, consumables, medical equipment, and ambulance vehicles; emergency epidemic response; health education campaigns; rehabilitation and physiotherapy; mental health; prosthetic implants; dialysis; surgery; development/operation of health facilities; mobile clinics; medical convoys; eye treatment camps; treatment for patients with cancer; neutral monitoring of vaccination campaigns; preventive and therapeutic nutrition and disability services.

As for medical convoys, QRCS carried out 11 medical convoys for the benefit of 11,803 patients in Sudan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Mauritania, and Somalia. The medical and surgical interventions covered paediatric cardiac catheterisation, general surgery, urology, and ophthalmology.