‘Five Jordanian doctors volunteer to go to Gaza’

AMMAN — The professional associations are currently contacting Palestinian authorities in Gaza to identify the needed assistance of specialised doctors to cover cadre shortages in the strip, a member of the Jordan Medical Association (JMA) said Saturday.

JMA council member Bassem Kiswani said the Foreign Ministry is working with Egyptian authorities to facilitate the entry of five Jordanian doctors into the coastal enclave through the Rafah Border Crossing.

The five doctors are Bilal Azzam, Tareq Tamimi, Wasfi Jaara, Walid Masoud and Saleh Abu Rumuh, according to a statement issued by the Professional Associations Council (PAC).

The council is also coordinating with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) to send assistance to Palestinians in the besieged strip.

“The Jordanian doctors will be part of a European delegation heading to Gaza,” Kiswani told the Jordan Times over the phone.

Kiswani is also coordinating a blood donation drive for Gaza, which has received more than 1,000 blood units, most of which were already sent to Gaza through the JHCO. 

He said the campaign is still receiving donations.

The professional associations also began receiving volunteer doctors with specialisations needed in Gaza to be part of upcoming delegations going to the strip, Kiswani added.

Also on Saturday, the associations signed an agreement with the Private Hospitals Association (PHA) under which it will cover the expenses of treating 25 Gazans injured in Israeli air strikes, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Gazans will be treated at Jordanian hospitals for free, PAC Secretary General Fayez Khalaileh told Petra.

Patients from Gaza will be referred to local hospitals in coordination with the PHA.

Ibn Al Haytham Hospital, Gardens Hospital, Al Hayat Hospital, Amman Surgical Hospital, Dar Al Salam Hospital and Al Jazeera Hospital have agreed to treat injured Gazans.

The professional associations have also rented a number of apartments to house the families of Gazans being treated at the King Hussein Medical Centre, Petra reported.