A specialist kidney dialysis unit has been opened at the UAE’s floating hospital in Al Arish, Egypt.
It was opened on Tuesday by Hamad Al Zaabi, the UAE's ambassador to Egypt, and comes as part of the national effort to provide humanitarian and medical support to displaced patients from the Gaza Strip. The unit has two dialysis machines, enabling six sessions a day with each session taking about four hours.
The opening of the unit reflects the increasing number of Palestinian patients with kidney diseases and the heightened demand for dialysis sessions, state news agency Wam reported.
On Saturday, 10 more patients from Gaza were admitted to the hospital. Dr Ali Al Kaabi, the hospital’s director, said patient admissions have continued since the reopening of the Rafah crossing. He said the hospital remains fully prepared to receive patients from Gaza and to deliver treatment.
Duty of care
In November, figures were released showing that more than 5,000 operations had been conducted aboard the hospital since its launch on February 24, 2024.
The repurposed ship is equipped with advanced surgical and intensive care units, a radiology department and laboratories, 100 patient beds and an additional 100 for accompanying relatives.
The UAE launched its humanitarian campaign, called Operation Gallant Knight 3, to provide essential support to Palestinians following the outbreak of the war with Israel on October 7, 2023.
A UAE aid convoy entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to deliver essential supplies to civilians before Ramadan.
It is the first batch of 4,000 tonnes of essential goods sent to Al Arish Port in Egypt from Ras Al Khaimah aboard the Saqr Humanitarian Ship.
The vessel docked in Egypt on Friday as part of the UAE's continued relief campaign for Gazans in the grip of a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the war with Israel.
The ship set sail on the directives of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, carrying food, shelter materials, winter clothing and medical products and equipment.
The first shipment reached Gaza following the work of the UAE Humanitarian Aid Team, which unloaded the supplies at Al Arish and moved them to its logistics centre for transportation to the enclave.
The aid was donated by the Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Charity and Humanitarian Foundation in anticipation of the start of Ramadan.
The holy month is expected to begin on Thursday, February 19, but its exact start will be confirmed by the sighting of the crescent moon across the Arab world.
