RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is to send medical supplies, including one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Tunisia, where infections are rapidly rising.
King Salman has directed the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) to urgently support the North African country, Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
The move was in response to a request from Tunisian President Kais Saied during a call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, general supervisor of KSrelief, said the directive “comes as an affirmation of the depth of the strong relations that bind the leaderships of the two countries.”
He said the aid includes 190 artificial respirators, 319 oxygen tanks, 150 medical beds, and 50 vital signs monitoring devices with trolleys, as well as 4 million medical masks, 500,000 medical gloves, 180 pulse oximeters, 25 intravenous drug pumps, nine defibrillators, 15 video laryngoscopes, and five electrocardiographs (ECG).
Tunisia has been struggling to control the rapid spread of the virus. The country’s health care system is under severe stress and oxygen supplies are depleted.
After successfully containing the virus in the first wave last year, Tunisia is now grappling with a rise in infections. It imposed a lockdown in some cities starting last week, but rejected a full national lockdown over concerns about the impact on the economy.
On Sunday, it recorded 106 deaths and reported 4,300 new coronavirus cases.
The total number of coronavirus cases so far in the country has climbed to more than 500,000, with about 16,500 deaths, yet vaccinations lag far behind other countries.
So far, only 715,000 people have received two doses out, which is less than 6 percent of the total of 11.6 million population. The army has been deployed to help remedy the situation but vaccines remain scarce.
“We are in a catastrophic situation ... the health system has collapsed, we can only find a bed in hospitals with great difficulty,” said health ministry spokesperson Nisaf Ben Alaya.
Intensive care units are full and there is a severe shortage of oxygen, officials said.
(With Reuters)
Saudi Arabia to send one million COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment to Tunisia
https://arab.news/raqrt
Saudi Arabia to send one million COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment to Tunisia
- The aid also includes 190 artificial respirators, 319 oxygen tanks, and 150 medical beds
- After successfully containing the virus in the first wave last year, Tunisia is now grappling with a rise in infections
First group of Hajj pilgrims arrives in Saudi Arabia
- The Makkah Route Initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s Guests of God Service Program
- 7,700 flights will arrive through six airports during the Hajj season
RIYADH: The first group of Hajj 2024 pilgrims arrived at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah on Thursday.
The 283 pilgrims from India were welcomed by the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Abdel Fattah bin Sulaiman Mashat, reported SPA.
Al-Jasser highlighted the ministry's commitment to providing the best services to Hajj pilgrims during their stay in the Kingdom.
He said that 7,700 flights will arrive through six airports during the Hajj season, with more than 27,000 buses in service, while the high-speed Al-Haramain and Al-Mashaer trains will provide more than 5,000 trips.
The Makkah Route Initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s Guests of God Service Program, inaugurated by King Salman in 2019. The scheme seeks to provide visitors to the holy sites with the finest possible services to help them perform their Hajj rituals easily and comfortably.
Saudi Arabia leads condemnation of attack on UNRWA headquarters in occupied Jerusalem
- The Kingdom said it holds the “Israeli occupation” responsible for the recurring crimes against innocent civilians and aid workers
- Saudi Arabia urged the international community to take serious action in halting Israel’s human rights violations
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Thursday condemned the Israeli settler attack on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees headquarters in occupied Jerusalem.
The Kingdom said it holds the “Israeli occupation” responsible for the recurring crimes against innocent civilians and aid workers, according to a statement issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
It urged the international community to take serious action in halting Israel’s human rights violations. “The occupation must be held accountable for its ongoing crimes that violate international law,” the statement said.
#بيان | تُعرب وزارة الخارجية عن إدانة المملكة العربية السعودية الاعتداء السافر من قبل مستوطنين إسرائيليين على مقر وكالة الأمم المتحدة لإغاثة وتشغيل اللاجئين الفلسطينيين (الأونروا) في القدس المحتلة، والذي تم تحت مراقبة ونظر شرطة الاحتلال الاسرائيلي. pic.twitter.com/AclZ27mfG6
— وزارة الخارجية (@KSAMOFA) May 9, 2024
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini earlier said that a group of Israeli protesters had attacked the agency’s headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem after calls for protests against UNRWA by an Israeli municipal official.
Jordan condemned the attack as a “blatant defiance of international law, which aims to protect UN facilities.”
It called on the international community to enforce international humanitarian law “immediately and effectively,” and oblige Israel to prevent attacks on relief workers who “play a major humanitarian role in providing aid and services to Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
KSrelief provides shelter, aid to people in flood-hit Yemen
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has distributed emergency shelter and other support to people across Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The agency provided nearly 200 tents, more than 600 shelter bags, and food to those affected by the recent flooding in the Hadramout governorate and the Al-Masila district of Al-Mahra governorate.
KSrelief continues to help vulnerable people in war-torn Yemen.
KSrelief providing ongoing medical care in Yemen
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief is providing ongoing cardiac surgery and catheterization for children and adults at Prince Mohammed bin Salman Hospital in Yemen’s Aden governorate.
The project runs until May 15, with 23 medical specialists participating in cooperation with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The medical team has already performed 35 cardiac catheterizations and eight open-heart surgeries, all of which were successful.
Meanwhile, KSrelief has completed another medical project which included 226 procedures for people with burns, deformities, and sports injuries.
This initiative took place from April 27 to May 5, 2024, in Yemen’s Aden governorate.
In addition, there were 1,026 individuals treated at the dermatology clinic, 2,317 at the family medicine clinic, and 587 at the dentistry clinic.
Training was also provided for 78 staffers in sports rehabilitation.
KSrelief to restore homes damaged in Aleppo earthquake
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief signed a pact on Wednesday to restore the homes of families affected by the earthquake in Aleppo, Syria.
In collaboration with a civil society institution in Syria, this project aims to restore 743 homes to benefit over 4,500 people, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Renovations will include the provision of new water tanks and ventilation systems.
KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor-General for Operations and Programs Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz signed the pact at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh.
