The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) has allocated USD 10 million to support WHO and UNHCR emergency response activities for Ukrainians in Poland.
The funds will be used, among other things, for the purchase and delivery of emergency medical supplies and equipment.
As explained in a press release from the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Warsaw, KSRelief's top priority is the purchase and supply of emergency medical supplies and equipment.
The centre’s Inspector General Dr Abdullah AlRabeeah assessed that relations between Saudi Arabia and Poland have strengthened over the past years, with both nations sharing common values. He pointed out that just as Poland hosts many refugees from Ukraine, Saudi Arabia has taken in more than 1 million people from Yemen and Syria, among others.
He assured that Saudi Arabia plans to continue supporting Ukrainian refugees. “Our assistance is not a one-off,” he stressed.
World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Poland Dr Paloma Cuchi stressed that the money donated will fund the purchase of medicines and equipment for both patients with non-communicable diseases (e.g. those suffering from diabetes or cardiovascular diseases), as well as vaccines (including those against measles, polio and tuberculosis, among others). She added that some of the funds will also be able to be used for the health needs of Poles.
“It is particularly important to achieve an adequate vaccination rate against diseases such as polio and tuberculosis and, at the same time, to run tuberculosis treatment programmes,” Ms Cuchi pointed out, adding that the aid provided by from KSRelief will meet the current needs of the refugees, but will also help with long-term services for them.
The donation is also to be used to launch a model of decentralised drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) care, designed so that patients can be treated at home, without the need for hospitalisation. It is also expected to benefit Poles.
SOURCE: TVP
