Medical aid reaches India, death toll nears 200,000
The 250-bed hospital will have the capacity to treat 30,000 patients a year, offering comprehensive services ranging from prevention, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care
Vital medical supplies began to reach India on Tuesday as hospitals starved of life-saving oxygen and beds turned away coronavirus patients, and a surge in infections pushed the death toll close to 200,000.
A shipment from Britain, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, arrived in the capital, New Delhi, though a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain had no surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses to spare.
France is sending eight large oxygen generating plants this week and Ireland, Germany and Australia are sending oxygen concentrators and ventilators, an Indian foreign ministry official said, underlining the crucial need of oxygen.
Senior US officials on Tuesday pledged sustained support for India in dealing with its COVID-19 crisis and said the country was still at the “front-end” of the crisis.
White house National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-pacific Kurt Campbell told a briefing call on the US response that President Joe Biden had told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a phone call on Monday, “you let me know what you need and we will do it.”
Germany will “in the coming days” deliver medical equipment to India to help the country contain a surge in coronavirus infections, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
The equipment to be airlited to India includes mobile stations for the production of oxygen as well as ventilators.
Spain will send just over seven tonnes of medical supplies to India, the foreign minister said on Tuesday, to help authorities cope with a rampant COVID-19 wave that is killing thousands there every day.
India’s first “Oxygen Express” train pulled into New Delhi, laden with about 70 tonnes of oxygen from an eastern state, but the crisis has not abated in the city of 20 million at the epicentre of the latest wave of infections.
The World Health Organisation said it was working to deliver 4,000 oxygen concentrators to India, where mass gatherings, more contagious variants and low vaccination rates have sparked the outbreak.
In view of a worsening third coronavirus wave all exams have been put off till June 15, Pakistan’s Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood announced on Tuesday.
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) announced that it conducted 185,007 additional COVID-19 tests and detected 2,094 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 514,591.
MOHAP also announced 5 deaths due to COVID-19 complications.
With vaccine demand outstripping supply in the world’s second-most populous country, two US drugmakers have offered support.
India is also negotiating with the United States, which has said it will share 60 million doses of Astrazeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine with other countries. India’s 323,144 new cases over the past 24 hours stood below a worldwide peak of 352,991 hit on Monday, and 2,771 new deaths took the toll to 197,894.
Australia halted direct passenger flights from India until May 15, joining other nations taking steps to keep out more virulent variants.
Spain will enforce a quarantine on all travellers from India in response to the emergence of a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus there, government spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero said on Tuesday.
The authorities said the Tahajjud prayers will be held in mosques during the last ten days of Ramadan. Philippines will ban travellers coming from India.
The authorities said the Tahajjud prayers will be held in mosques during the last ten days of Ramadan; Australia halts direct flights from India; UAE reports 2,094 new cases, 5 deaths; Pak postpones all exams till June 15.
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Al Jalila Foundation, a philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical innovation, on Tuesday unveiled plans to establish the UAE’S first charity hospital to help cancer patients in need. To be completed in two phases, the state-of-the-art comprehensive cancer facility will open its doors in 2023.
The 250-bed hospital, equipped with cutting-edge technology, will have the capacity to treat 30,000 patients a year, offering comprehensive services ranging from prevention, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care.
The cancer care hospital will bring together innovative expertise and highly qualified medical professionals and advanced medical technologies on par with the best in the world. It will also support cancer research and train medical practitioners to deliver world-class treatment services.
The name of the new hospital was revealed at a special event held in the presence of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation; Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Secretary-general of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives (MBRGI); and Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Chairman of Protocols for the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. The hospital’s name pays tribute to the late Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his lifetime of service to the nation and extraordinary global philanthropic achievements that continue to touch millions of lives around the world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum tweeted, “Today, we announce plans to establish the ‘ Hamdan Bin Rashid Cancer Charity Hospital’ to provide free cancer care for people in need. Spanning 50,000 square meters, the 250-bed capacity hospital will treat 30,000 patients a year.”
He added, “Hamdan Bin Rashid was known for his humility and selfless giving that touched millions of lives. His devotion to education, healthcare and orphans continued throughout his lifetime, and the impact of his work is still seen in every corner in Dubai. His demise left a void.”
He noted, “Hamdan Bin Rashid will always be remembered in our nation for giving more than he was asked, and for working silently for the service of humanity.”
“We commend Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed’s efforts to make the new hospital a reality and honour Hamdan Bin Rashid’s legacy.”
Spanning 50,000 square metres, the seven- storey hospital will be Dubai’s first fully modular-built hospital equipped with the latest medical technologies.
A total of 150 beds will be created in the first phase while expansion plans implemented in the second phase will expand capacity to 250 beds.
The new hospital aims to accelerate the
UAE’S efforts to be a leader in healthcare excellence and a pioneer in medical innovation shaping the future of medicine.
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “As the UAE prepares for its Golden Jubilee and the next 50 years, there is no greater priority than good healthcare and the Al Jalila Foundation aims to play its part in providing medical excellence in the UAE - especially for the most vulnerable in society.”
He added, “The Hamdan Bin Rashid Cancer Charity Hospital will bring together innovative expertise, advanced medical technologies and wellbeing strategies to propel the UAE’S vision forward to become a leader in cancer care.” He stressed that “the hospital is a fitting tribute to the late Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid, one of the world’s greatest philanthropists, and we are proud to come together to build on his legacy to make quality healthcare within reach for all.”