WHO chief lauds Qatar’s help to Afghan people

HE Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari and the Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visit the temporary facilities for housing and caring for the Afghan evacuees in Qatar

HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari met on Sunday with Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is currently visiting the country, Qatar News Agency reported.

The meeting reviewed aspects of co-operation between Qatar and the WHO, and the co-operation between the two sides in helping the Afghan people. Later, HE Dr Hanan al-Kuwari and Dr Tedros made an inspection tour of the facilities housing Afghan evacuees, who are temporarily hosted by Qatar until they reach their final destinations. They were briefed about the operations in the facilities, the progress of operations, procedures and the comprehensive services, including educational, sports, recreational and health, provided to the Afghans. They also met with some families and children. Dr Tedros praised Qatar’s co-operation with the WHO in sending medical shipments to Afghanistan, and commended the country’s arrangements to conduct a trip for him to Kabul, in order to inspect the field conditions. He said WHO will continue to work with Qatar and other partners to help the Afghan people at home and abroad. “We thank Qatar for its generous support to the people of Afghanistan through medical and aid supply flights, including WHO’s, and hosting evacuees. Impressive whole of government and whole of society approach to helping the Afghan people,” he tweeted. Referring to his visit to the compound housing Afghan evacuees, Dr Tedros said: “Very glad that the local & international community has stepped up to donate food, clothes & other supplies to the compound.” HE the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid AlKhater thanked HE Dr al-Kuwari and Dr Tedros “for visiting our fellow Afghans on site”. In a post on Twitter on Sunday, she also thanked the Ministry of Public Health for its “unlimited support provided to thousands of evacuees since August 18”. “Also proud of supporting the WHO deliver tons of aid to Afghanistan,” she added. Meanwhile, the WHO wrote on Twitter it was grateful to Qatar for its ongoing support to deliver essential health supplies for vulnerable people in Afghanistan, stressing that Saturday’s flight was the third donated by Qatar to WHO this month. “A plane carrying 8.7 metric tonnes of WHO life-saving medical and trauma supplies landed in Kabul today. This new shipment will benefit 2,500 trauma patients and  2,400 children with pneumonia in Afghanistan,” the WHO tweeted on Saturday.