The UAE sends its first urgent medical supply plane to Sudan
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), sent to Port Sudan airport a plane carrying 30 tons of emergency medical supplies to treat injuries, emergency surgeries and essential drugs in Sudan.
This is the first WHO shipment to arrive in Sudan since the conflict began.
The plane’s dispatch comes within the framework of the continuous relief efforts of the United Arab Emirates in support of the brotherly Sudanese people and an expression of the depth of brotherly relations with Sudan, especially in the distress it is experiencing. It also embodies the humanitarian vision of the United Arab Emirates and its relations with brotherly countries in accordance with the principles of historical brotherhood and the provision of aid during crises and emergencies.
Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, said the UAE continues to work closely with the World Health Organization to ensure the success of an important logistical operation to send urgent medical and food supplies to help address the current crisis in Sudan.
“In parallel to calls on all parties to the current conflict to immediately cease hostilities and calm the situation that is causing untold suffering to the Sudanese people, the UAE remains steadfast in its commitment to provide aid and assistance to countries in times of need… The UAE is particularly focused on providing support to the most vulnerable groups affected by the situation in Sudan, namely patients, children, the elderly and women, who are most at risk as a result of the ongoing and extremely worrying conflict, and these relief flights will address the most urgent gaps in the provision of medical and food services.”
She stressed that the UAE’s firm human values make it imperative to continue to communicate with the world with unrelenting sincerity to promote peace, security, safety and stability, not only at the regional level but also throughout the world. “The UAE, along with its partners and the international community, continues to help the Sudanese people in times of crisis.
Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, said: “Early this morning, a flight carrying 30 metric tons of health supplies worth US$444,000 left the WHO Global Logistics Center in the United Arab Emirates en route to Port Sudan in response to the current crisis in Sudan. Health supplies include enough to treat injuries, to cover emergency surgical supplies, and essential medicines to provide treatment to 165,000 people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance after health facilities across the country announced that they had run out basic health supplies and that national medical stores were no longer available due to the security situation. WHO sent two emergency logisticians on board the cargo plane to ensure these supplies are immediately distributed to 13 key health facilities to support healthcare workers and care for the needy.”
“WHO has another 30 tons of supplies for malaria and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, which can become fatal if left untreated…These supplies and about 23,000 bags of blood are being processed inside the WHO Global Logistics Center at World Humanitarian City in Dubai, and WHO is currently exploring all possible ways to deliver these supplies to Sudan as soon as possible in collaboration with the Sudanese Ministry of Health.”
He also pointed out that the WHO Global Logistics Center in the UAE has become the focus of the rapid supply response to severe events globally with the support of more than 140 countries in all six WHO geographical regions.
He explained that the Center is the lifeline for member states that suffer health emergencies caused by disease outbreaks and disasters such as floods, earthquakes and the impact of conflicts on health systems, noting that the support provided by the United Arab Emirates enables the World Health Organization (WHO) to be at the forefront of responses to health emergencies, and to provide specialized medical assistance to the needy wherever and whenever the need arises.
“As part of efforts to strengthen the global architecture for health emergency preparedness, response and resilience, the UAE and WHO are working side-by-side to deliver supplies to reach the world’s most vulnerable when they are most needed,” he said.
WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, said that WHO continues to coordinate with the Sudanese health authorities to provide essential health supplies through all available routes, explaining that because of the conflict, hospitals, pharmacies and health-care facilities have run out of essential life-saving medicines… The arrival of an additional 30 tons of surgical and emergency supplies, as well as essential medicines, will enable WHO to support 13 key health facilities and restore health-care services to those in need.
“Our Global Logistics Center in Dubai plays a vital role in ensuring the continuous supply of health goods…We are grateful for the support the UAE has provided to facilitate our first ever supply trip, which is urgently needed…Such support highlights our regional vision of health for all and for all,” he said.
WHO medical assistance through the UAE accounted for nearly 55 per cent of the medical supplies provided to Sudan from abroad during 2022, reflecting the UAE’s position as a major center for humanitarian response and support globally.
