Kuwait launches blood bank facility in Dar es Salaam
‘Refugee crisis needs int’l action’
KUWAIT CITY, Nov 4, (KUNA): Tanzanian Minister of Health Ummy Mwalimu expressed gratitude on Saturday for Kuwait for its continuous support and contribution in in her country’s health sector.
Mwalimu’s statement came during inauguration of a facility named “Kuwait Blood Bank” in Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI) in Dar es Salaam, former capital and largest city in Tanzania.
Kuwait’s ambassador to Tanzania Jasem Al-Najem told KUNA that the launch of “Kuwait Blood Bank” was a qualitative step for Kuwaiti charitable work in Tanzania, following hard work by the Kuwait Pa- tients Helping Fund Society (KPHFS), in cooperation with the Embassy, to ensure arrival of adequate equipment and devices – meeting international standers and Tanzanian requirements – for MOI.
“Kuwait Blood Bank” has been launched with a $107,000 (Sh220 million) donation, through KPHFS and under supervision of the Kuwait Embassy in the nation, Tanzanian officials said.
For her part, Tanzanian Minister for Health said the blood bank would enhance provision of services.
“Now MOI can collect its own blood from donors and supply it to regional and district hospitals in need. The government thanks Kuwait for its assistance,” she said.
According to her, the number of patients flown abroad for treatment decreased from 423 in 2015 to 209.
She pledged government’s continued investment in healthcare to ensure treatment for admitted patients, suffering from cancer, heart diseases or in need for kidney transplantation.
MOI executive director Respicious Boniface said the institute needs 13-20 units of blood daily.
“We always get five to 10 units of blood a day, which is inadequate because the demand is high. I encourage more people to donate blood,” Boniface said.
Meanwhile, the State of Kuwait reiterated commitment to work with the international community to ease the impacts of displacement and migration.
Speaking at the meeting of the UN General Assembly Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), economic researcher of Kuwait’s UN delegation to the UN, Hayam Al-Fassam called for more robust efforts deal with the growing number of refugees and displaced people across the globe.
She warned that such a problem could become a threat to the international peace and security.
It requires collective action, and sincere initiative to work out appropriate solutions to this humanitarian crisis, which has been worsening in the past years, AlFassam said.
She noted that the relevant UN reports had called for addressing the root causes of displacement and migration.
The reports demanded the adopting of new approaches to create suitable atmosphere that guarantee the voluntary return of migrants to their home countries, she recalled.
Al-Fassam pointed out that Kuwait has provided a total of $5 billion to refugees and displaced people in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine and other world countries in the past five years.
Kuwait continues its support to “illegal residents” in the country through establishing a special body to adjust their legal status and provide them with financial and social support, she stressed.