KUWAIT: Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regional mission in the GCC, Mamadou Sow praised Kuwait's efforts through the Kuwait Red Crescent Society in supporting the ICRC's work in providing aid to the displaced Rohingya people in Bangladesh. Sow said in a statement to the Kuwaiti news agency (KUNA) on Monday that Kuwait's global humanitarian roles are appreciated by all international organizations involved in humanitarian and relief work, especially the International Committee of the Red Cross.

He expressed his gratitude for this strategic partnership and Kuwait's support for the ICRC's humanitarian operations in Bangladesh. Sow highlighted Kuwait’s efforts during 2021 and 2022 when the ICRC emergency department at Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital provided free emergency health services to 227,065 patients from local communities and displaced people from Rakhine state as part of as part of a cooperation agreement with the Kuwaiti Red Crescent. Thanks to this agreement, the ICRC, together with its partners in the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, contributed to growing the skills of healthcare professionals at the previously underutilized and under-resourced emergency department, he said.

He added that the capacity of emergency services has been expanded to include patients with heart disease, children, pregnant women as well as those with breathing difficulties and other emergency situations. Sow stated that during the entire project period between 2019 and 2022, the emergency department gave 377,000 patients free consultations in partnership with Bangladeshi authorities. He explained that with support of the Kuwait Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the emergency department is now equipped, providing emergency care to between 350 and 450 patients a day and has become a national model providing comprehensive medical care under one roof for both Bangladeshi and displaced people.

Sow added that on January 26, 2022, the regional mission in Kuwait signed a grant agreement with the Kuwaiti Red Crescent worth $1 million to support humanitarian aid in Bangladesh with assistance from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to help improve the situation of displaced people from Rakhine state in Bangladesh. He stated Contributions to ICRC operations in the areas of health, water, housing, and economic security have been used to improve the daily living conditions of displaced communities in the Cox's Bazar area.

Thanks to these contributions and changes made by the Sadar Hospital Support Project in Cox's Bazar, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh has declared its emergency department to be a model Department and awarded the hospital the title of the second-best District Hospital in Bangladesh, he said. Sow thanked Kuwait for its support for the work of the regional mission of the Red Cross in GCC, praising the continuous support provided by the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society and its great contributions to alleviate the suffering of displaced people around the world. – KUNA