Saudi Arabia, through its humanitarian arm, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, has signed five joint executive programs with the World Health Organization (WHO) for the benefit of Yemen, Sudan, and Syria, totaling $19,496,000. This occurred on the sidelines of the 77th session of the WHO General Assembly in Geneva.
The agreements were signed by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of the Center, and Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of WHO, in the presence of the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Abdulmohsen bin Khudair.
Tedros Adhanom commended Saudi Arabia for the medical projects and programs it implements through the King Salman Center for Relief to improve the health situation of those in need in various countries. He discussed with Dr. Al Rabeeah matters of mutual interest related to relief and humanitarian projects in the health sector and the mechanism for delivering medical aid to patients worldwide.
The first agreement aims to address the acute shortage of dialysis supplies in Sudan to reduce fatalities among kidney failure patients. It includes providing consumables for approximately 235,000 dialysis sessions, securing 100 dialysis machines, and covering the salaries of medical staff in 77 dialysis centers, totaling $5 million.
The second agreement focuses on providing medical assistance to earthquake-affected individuals in Syria, with a total cost of $4,746,000. It aims to support healthcare facilities in northwest Syria by equipping 17 central hospitals in earthquake-affected areas with necessary medical devices in operation rooms, intensive care units, emergency departments, and dialysis units. It also includes providing central sterilization departments, endoscopy, cardiology, and laboratory equipment, as well as two CT SCAN machines, radiology and ultrasound equipment, and echocardiography for radiology departments, in addition to securing 10 ambulances and a large quantity of medications for beneficiaries in affected areas.
The third agreement targets combating the spread of measles among children under the age of five in Yemen, with a total cost of $3 million. It aims to reduce the spread of measles by launching a vaccination campaign for 1,205,336 Yemeni children, equipping 1,125 health centers with medications, intravenous solutions, and necessary consumables for treating cases in several governorates, and purchasing equipment to support the cold chain to ensure sustainable routine immunization services in selected areas, in addition to supporting basic activities in the water and environmental sanitation sectors to reduce the spread of the epidemic.
The fourth agreement focuses on improving water and sanitation services in healthcare facilities with sustainable water supplies to serve the most needy populations in Yemen, with a value of $3,750,000. It involves drilling solar-powered wells in 10 healthcare facilities, including pumps, water tanks, and piping for connection.
Finally, the fifth and last agreement aims to curb the spread of cholera throughout Yemen, with a value of $3 million. It includes a range of preventive and curative activities, securing vaccines, medications, and medical consumables for central laboratories, providing personal protective equipment for medical personnel, funding operational budgets for vaccination campaigns and rapid response teams, as well as epidemiological investigation activities, in addition to supporting basic activities in the water and environmental sanitation sectors.
These efforts are part of the humanitarian and relief endeavors provided by Saudi Arabia through its humanitarian arm, the King Salman Center for Relief, to support and enhance the capabilities of health sectors in needy countries and provide them with essential medical needs.