UAE maritime hospital sails to aid people of Gaza

A fully integrated maritime hospital set sail from the UAE on Thursday, heading to Al Arish, Egypt, to provide medical support to Palestinians.

The initiative is part of the Gallant Knight 3 humanitarian operation, under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to provide all forms of support and assistance to the people of the Gaza Strip.

The hospital, which sailed from Khalifa Port and is being established in cooperation with the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH) and AD Ports Group, includes a medical and administrative staff of 100 people from various specialities, including anaesthesia, general surgery, orthopaedics, and emergency medicine, as well as nurses and paramedics.

It has a capacity of 100 beds, as well as operating and intensive care rooms, a radiology unit, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and medical warehouses, in addition to an evacuation helicopter, a medical evacuation boat, and ambulances equipped with the latest medical equipment.

The maritime hospital is an additional step complementing the operations of the 200-bed UAE field hospital, which was inaugurated on December 3, with a medical staff of 64 volunteers from 17 nationalities, including 48 men and 16 women. It has performed more than 555 major and delicate surgeries, and has treated over 4,038 cases during the past months.