Sharjah based foundation donates AED 8.7 million to Beirut hospital

Beirut’s Saint George Hospital University Medical Centre is set to receive AED 8,702,912 from the Sharjah-based global organisation, The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF).

The hospital was damaged extensively in last August's devastating explosion in the Lebanese capital.

Located just 900 metres away from the epicentre of the blast, it became non-operational for the first time since it was established in 1878.

The funds will support the reconstruction of the emergency and trauma unit (ERT) and a paediatric facility.

The project falls under the Salam Beirut initiative, an emergency aid-and-relief campaign launched by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of TBHF and Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children at the UNHCR.

The reconstruction is expected to be completed in three months, and will utilise the funding for infrastructural development and the purchase of medical and administrative equipment.

Once complete, the ERT unit at the hospital will be named after "The Big Heart Foundation".

The redevelopment is expected to increase its capacity to treat 40,000 patients annually.

The hospital is Lebanon's oldest and has been serving the community for 142 years.

Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of TBHF, said "Boosting this prestigious institution’s capacities are in line with Sheikha Jawaher’s consistent and strategic efforts to improve people’s access to healthcare, especially for those who cannot afford expensive medical care, in this region and across the world."