Zayed Giving Initiative adding 9 mobile medical units to cater

The Zayed Giving Initiative, the UAE’s leading philanthropic organisation based on the model of humanitarian volunteer work, is adding nine state-of-the-art mobile medical units to increase the capacity of its Emirates World Humanitarian Field Hospitals, CEO Dr. Adel Al Shamari said.

The new capacity will include 100 beds and nine mobile units, supplied by partner organisations in the USA, Italy and China, he added.

''The new units have been designed to fit the humanitarian, medical and relief missions of the Initiative in sisterly and friendly countries to alleviate the suffering of underprivileged patients, mostly children and elderly people,'' Al Shamari said.

''The units will also help the Initiative meet the growing requirements for its diagnostic, therapeutic, preventive, training, educational and awareness services to various segments of society, locally and globally,'' he added.

The drive of the Zayed Giving Initiative is supervised by senior doctors and surgeons, in partnership with public and private sectors and the Saudi-German Hospital.

Dr. Shamsa Al Awar, Executive Director of Doctors for Humanity Association, said that the Emirates World Humanitarian Mobile Hospital (Elaaj), National Mobile Hospital for Medical Care (Enaya), National Emergency Medical Response Programme (Estijaba) and the Emirates World Humanitarian Field Hospital for Child Care (Reaya) had undertaken missions in the UAE, Morocco, Haiti, Lebanon, Yemen, Kenya, Bosnia, Syria, Eritrea, Indonesia and Sudan.

"During these humanitarian missions, free-of-charge services were provided to more than 4.5 million children and elderly people, and over 10,000 surgeries were performed on poor patients," she said. Training programmes were also conducted for more than 10,000 medical professionals.

"The focus in the next phase is to expand the services of the Weqaya Programme, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Prevention, to enhance health awareness among the members of community with the focus on the most vulnerable sections to chronic diseases," Al Awar added.

Founded in 2003, the Zayed Giving Initiative, ia UAE-based philanthropy organization based on a model of humanitarian volunteer work in the spirit of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab Emirates, aims to promote volunteerism and harness the potential of institutions and individuals for effective participation in community development in the areas of health, education, environment, and culture. In a short span of time, the Zayed Giving Initiative has succeeded in firmly positioning the UAE on the world humanitarian work by extending support to thousands of people affected by disasters, poverty, underdevelopment and epidemics in different parts of the world.

The Zayed Giving Initiative aims at empowering the youth and investing their powers and creativity in order to participate effectively in developing the community in these fields under a volunteering framework and humanitarian umbrella.