Prince El Hassan inaugurates Gaza healthcare relief conference

AMMAN — HRH Prince El Hassan on Thursday inaugurated the "Gaza Healthcare Relief" conference, an initiative organised by the Jordan Medical Association (JMA) to rally support for Gaza's healthcare sector. 

The event brought together local and international stakeholders, including representatives of charitable organisations, medical professionals and policymakers.

In his opening speech, Prince El Hassan emphasised the need for a unified humanitarian approach to support Gaza, calling on aid agencies to present a unified message to donors, based on the principle of "human dignity".

Efforts in Gaza must go beyond physical reconstruction, Prince Hassan said, adding "They must focus on emotional and social reconstruction, addressing not only material needs but also the human spirit." 

He urged stakeholders to work together across sectors, stressing the interconnectedness of health, education and living standards.

Former Minister of Health Saad Jaber shared sobering statistics, noting that the number of children killed in Gaza in the past four months exceeds the number of children killed in international conflicts in four years. 

He stressed the importance of coordinated efforts by civil society and charitable organisations, including the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO), to address the multiple needs of the people of Gaza.

JMA President Ziad Zoubi assured the readiness of Jordanian hospitals to treat the wounded in Gaza, highlighting the serious complications of war injuries, including amputations.

Zoubi also commended the military medical teams for their resilience in difficult conditions.

Jordan Engineers Association (JEA)  President Ahmed Zoubi announced the formation of a 750-member committee to assess the extensive damage in Gaza, estimated at more than $80 billion, calling on the international community to provide contractors and equipment to speed up reconstruction.

Highlighting the Kingdom's extensive humanitarian assistance, Secretary General of JHCO Hussein Shibli said that more than 2,500 tonnes of medical supplies worth $31 million have been delivered to Gaza, along with advanced medical equipment.

The organisation's "Restoring Hope" initiative has provided 267 prosthetic limbs to Gaza's amputees, addressing the needs of the growing number of people who have lost limbs in the war, which now stands at more than 16,000, he added.

Conference Secretary-General Bilal Azzam announced the launch of an international health platform to link Gaza's health needs with global donors, highlighting the platform as an important step towards finding sustainable solutions to the ongoing health crisis in the Strip.

Several new programmes were launched during the conference, with Fawzi Hammouri, head of the "Gaza Health" initiative introducing the Adnan Al Barsh Memorial Scholarship, which will enable Gaza's medical professionals to specialise in critical areas, including internal medicine and surgery.

The Serene Al Attar Memorial Training Initiative, announced by Head of the Private Hospitals Association Ahmad Al Ahmad will focus on strengthening Gaza's medical workforce. 

Named after a doctor who lost her life helping pregnant women during the Israeli war on Gaza, the initiative highlights the need for specialised health services in the war-torn Strip.

The two-day conference, attended by 80 organisations from 24 countries, aims to adopt projects that will rehabilitate Gaza's health system. Organisers hope the event will pave the way for a coordinated international effort to address the dire humanitarian and medical challenges in the war-torn Strip.