The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed five agreements with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, providing $19.5 million for WHO programs in Yemen ($9.5 million), Sudan ($5 million), and Syria ($4.75 million).
The agreements were signed by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah of KSrelief and WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, with the Saudi Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva present.
Dr. Ghebreyesus expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia's past five years of generous support.
Saudi Arabia's contributions to WHO have been essential in addressing malnutrition, cholera, malaria, and rebuilding healthcare systems in crisis zones.
WHO praised Saudi Arabia's partnership and its crucial role in alleviating health challenges globally, including support for Sudan, Gaza Strip, Yemen, Somalia, Ukraine, and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Hanan Balkhi, highlighted the significance of these funds in supporting vulnerable communities in the region.
Saudi Arabia is one of WHO's top contributors in recent years, and its continued support is welcomed to address global health emergencies.
The first agreement involves providing dialysis supplies and machines to Sudan, aiming to save lives of kidney failure patients by supplying consumables for approximately 235,000 dialysis treatments and delivering 100 dialysis machines, along with paying the salaries of medical staff in 77 centers, totaling $5 million.
The second agreement focuses on medical aid for earthquake victims in Syria, costing $4.74 million, which will equip 17 hospitals in affected areas with essential medical equipment for operations and care departments.
Three agreements have been made to provide aid in Yemen.
The first involves supplying ten ambulances and medicines to beneficiaries in affected areas.
The second agreement focuses on preventing measles outbreaks among children under five, costing $3 million and aiming to vaccinate 1.2 million children and equip 1,125 health centers.
The third agreement aims to improve water and sanitation services in healthcare facilities, costing $3.75 million and including the drilling of solar-powered wells in ten facilities.
The fifth agreement involves a $3 million investment to prevent the spread of cholera in Yemen.
This will be achieved through various preventative and curative activities, securing
vaccines, medicines, and medical consumables for central laboratories, and providing personal protective equipment for medical personnel.