Ramallah (UNA/WAFA) – Under the patronage and in the presence of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society inaugurated the North Field Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, during an event held at the Society’s headquarters in Al-Bireh and Gaza via video conference, in the presence of the Society’s President Younis Al-Khatib, Minister of Health Majid Abu Ramadan, a number of international partners and Red Crescent staff in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Prime Minister also inspected the association's warehouses and central call center at its headquarters in Al-Bireh, where he reviewed the stock of medicines, medical supplies, and relief items, as well as the mechanisms for preparing and sending them to the Gaza Strip. The warehouses contain more than 5 boxes of medicines and medical supplies ready for dispatch to Gaza, in addition to thousands more ready in suppliers' warehouses. Furthermore, 35 ambulances are on the Egyptian side and approximately 22 ambulances are ready to enter the Gaza Strip as soon as permission is granted..
The Prime Minister affirmed that the opening of the hospital embodies our people's will to persevere and continue living, despite the humanitarian catastrophe, the destruction of a large part of the health sector, and the shortage of medicines, equipment, and medical personnel..
Mustafa said: “This occasion combines pain and hope; pain for what our people in the Gaza Strip have come to, and hope that efforts will continue to change this reality towards a better situation and a more dignified life.”".
He added that the hospital represents a national response to growing health needs and a testament to our people's determination to persevere, stressing that the government, under the directives of President Mahmoud Abbas, will continue to support the association and its partners to strengthen the health sector in Gaza..
The Prime Minister praised the efforts of the Red Crescent Society, its staff, and its partners, stressing that treating the sick and wounded is a humanitarian duty guaranteed by international law, and calling on the international community to bear its responsibilities towards our people in Gaza..
For his part, Al-Khatib said that the opening of the hospital represents a national achievement realized through the efforts of the association's staff and its partners, noting that the association lost more than 230 martyrs from its staff during its history, while its teams continued to perform their humanitarian duty..
He explained that the hospital is part of the association's plan to enhance health services in various governorates of the Gaza Strip, given the severe shortage of medical facilities. He noted that despite restrictions on importing equipment, the association's staff were able to develop field solutions and equip the hospital using local resources and expertise, with support from its partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement..
For his part, the Executive Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in the Gaza Strip, Haider Al-Qudra, confirmed that the opening of the North Field Hospital comes within the Society's strategic plan to establish field hospitals in various areas of the Gaza Strip, to support the health sector and enhance its ability to provide medical services..
The North Field Hospital is the sixth hospital of the association in the Gaza Strip, and is expected to serve about half a million people. It provides emergency, surgical, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and neonatal care services, in addition to operations, radiology, laboratory and pharmacy services. It also includes a primary healthcare clinic and the North Central Ambulance Center..
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