Inside the 150-bed UAE field hospital in Gaza receiving 20 injured every day

Centre features several departments focused on caring for adults and children

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The UAE's field hospital in the Gaza Strip is helping other medical facilities cope with an ever-increasing number of casualties.

One of the facility's consultants said they are receiving more than 20 new cases of injured people every day.

Opened on December 2 as part of the Gallant Knight 3 humanitarian operation ordered by President Sheikh Mohamed, medical teams from the UAE have been providing aid and treatment to Gaza's injured residents.

The 150-bed hospital has departments focused on caring for adults and children, with its intensive care unit handling significant cases in its first two weeks.

We've received many children, especially those who are directly injured and severely injured

Dr Abdullah Al Naqbi,
ICU consultant

Dr Abdullah Al Naqbi, ICU consultant and medical doctor at the field hospital, said the hospital have handled complex cases, including some that have been referred from established hospitals.

"Since we started working in the UAE mobile field hospital in Gaza, we've dealt with many cases, many complicated cases, especially related to direct injury in the war," he said.

"And we dealt with many hospitals where they were requesting transfer of complicated cases which required complicated surgeries which are available in our hospital. Since we've started, we've done many of them.

"We've received many children, especially those who are directly injured and severely injured, especially limbs injuries and they were in a critical situation, in a shock from the bleeding and we handled them."

Dr Al Naqbi said medics have prioritised cases involving the most complex injuries that require specialised care.

"Since we were limited with the number of beds, the acceptance in the hospital was restricted only to complicated cases to help as many people as possible who are really in need of our services," he said.

"Daily we are receiving more than 20 complicated cases, which can be managed either immediately or can be admitted to have their surgery done or planned."

Nizar Elareini, a patient, said he was in the Indonesian Hospital were he stayed for "the worst five days of my life" but has thankfully ended up at the UAE field hospital.

"We left the Indonesian Hospital for the European Hospital. They took care of us, but the number of injured people was very large," Mr Elareini said.

"Thank God, I came here to the UAE field hospital - the best and most skilled doctors [are here]. Treatment is available for all injuries. We thank God because we came here."

Medical volunteers - mostly nurses - met in Abu Dhabi on Friday for a workshop on what to do and what not to do. They were told to travel light, limit water and food intake and expect to work long hours.

Organisers did not disclose when the volunteers will be travelling but it is expected to be soon.

Shaikha Al Dhaheri, director of Health Workforce Planning at the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, said the people who had volunteered were "national heroes".

“The volunteers have different healthcare specialities and will provide direct help to the patients in Gaza," Ms Al Dhaheri told The National.

"I’m here representing the Department of Health and we are working closely with our partners at the Red Crescent and the Ministry of Defence, as well as the different health facilities, and I can't tell you how proud each and every one of us is of what can only be described as national heroes.”

The UAE has supplied emergency relief aid comprising shelter materials and basic food items to the Gaza Strip since the war broke out.

It has also taken Gazans to the UAE from El Arish Airport in Egypt for treatment in the country's hospitals under a humanitarian initiative aimed at delivering support and solidarity to the Palestinian people during the Israel-Gaza war.