UAE offers fleet of 10 ambulances to support rescue operations in Syria

Equipment given as part of the Operation Gallant Knight 2 humanitarian mission

The UAE has pledged to send 10 state-of-the-art ambulances to assist recovery efforts in Syria. Photo: National Ambulance Service

The UAE has offered Syria a fleet of 10 new ambulances as part of Operation Gallant Knight 2, the UAE's humanitarian mission to aid the earthquake-hit country.

The move was approved by the Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defence, in co-ordination with the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC).

The new ambulances are equipped to go off-road into rugged terrain and deliver medical services to those in hard-to-reach areas.

Dr Salem Al Falasi, who is in charge of assisting the health sector in Syria, said that the initiative was a continuation of the UAE's humanitarian support for the Syrian people as it recovers from the disaster.

He added that the support was in line with the UAE leadership‘s vision to meet the basic humanitarian needs of the Syrian people.

He stressed that the UAE will continue to assist Syria's health sector, as part of Operation Gallant Knight 2, and to identify and meet the needs of Syrian hospitals and health authorities.

Dr Samer Ahmed, associate director of the health department in Latakia, Syria, praised the UAE's latest humanitarian aid, saying it would make it easier for the medical staff to carry out their duties.

Earthquake-damaged hospitals in Syria - in pictures

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  Hospitals in north-western Syria have been badly damaged by the February 6 double earthquake. All photos by Moawia Atrash for The National

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  Ahmed Al Hamoud, a maintenance worker at Sham Children's Hospital in Sarmada, Idlib province, said patients had to be moved from some badly damaged rooms

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  Dr Omar Al Ali looks at the cracks in the walls of the hospital

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  Mr Hamoud moves medical equipment from damaged rooms

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  Hospital director Abdul Rahman Hallaq said parts of the hospital had to be vacated

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  Dr Al Ali said physicians risked their own lives as they stayed to look after their patients as the buildings shook

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  An electric heater hangs from a cracked wall

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  Dr Al Ali claims Syria's doctors have had no help since the quake

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  He said the hospital continued to work at maximum capacity

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  The main door of the maternity hospital of the Syrian American Medical Association in the town of Dana, which was closed due to severe damage

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  The deserted hospital in Al Dana after the quake