Participants tell the story of a Jordanian field hospital in Gaza

Kabarni – One of the officers of the Jordanian army goes back to 2009 when he got the news and is still very happy today because he was selected in the force that goes to the King Abdullah II Field Hospital. It was ordered to be established that year at Tal al-Hawa in the Gaza Strip of Jordan.

According to the official who spoke to Al-Nahar Al-Arabi, Jordanian Street experienced great turmoil and tension as a result of the Israeli offensive, the first large-scale occupation of the Gaza Strip. December twenty-seventh, 2008, continued for 23 days…until January 18th, 2009, about 10 days after the end of the occupation, when the hospital began its work in Gaza.

Among the most important things the officer remembers from that period, the king donated blood to the people of Gaza when the war broke out, thus starting a national blood donation campaign, after which he instructed the army to equip a military field hospital, the establishment of which has benefited millions of Gazans to this day. The officer points out that it was a dream for him and his colleagues in the army to go to Gaza as part of the field hospital team, at which point everyone made every effort to find a way to join the team run by higher-ups. A sense of responsibility for the brothers in Gaza who are facing a humanitarian catastrophe amid great pressure on hospitals and the numerous martyrs and wounded.

After that, the groups of personnel from the Kingdom to the hospital continued, as the staff was changed every 3 months starting from 2020, while the number of groups reached 76 batches since the establishment of the hospital until now.

A loving relationship beyond the boundaries of the hospital. Regarding his participation in one of the batches for 2019, another officer told Al-Nahar Al-Arabi that he wanted to be a member of the army’s medical teams going to the Gaza Strip, and he always wanted to. , when it was fulfilled for him, he said: “My joy was “beyond description.”

He left with a crew of 180 to 220 people, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory and radiology technicians, according to the official. clothing, food preparation and security, noting that the hospital has an operating room and sterilization equipment, a fully equipped dental clinic, other clinics for internal specialties, general surgery, orthopedics, gynaecology, obstetrics and dermatology, a clinical psychology researcher, physical Treatment, and occupational therapy, a 24-hour emergency room, an examination and radiology laboratory and a large pharmacy are divided into two sections, the first section for medical consumables such as wheelchairs, crutches, and the second section. Medicines.

The officer talked about how warm the people of Gaza are to the Jordanian field hospital team, saying that they are eager to treat them with kindness and love, to treat them, get close to them, and always express themselves. Their readiness for any service required of them, whatever it may be, “They shared our national events by celebrating with us, and at the same time, the Jordanians were eager to share their events with the people around Gaza. For them.”

No work is less difficult than war work. Senator Dr. Ibrahim al-Batur, a consultant brain, nerve and spinal surgeon who previously worked at the hospital for more than 3 months, said doctors in the Gaza Strip are underemployed. In the midst of great stress and shortages, more difficult than war work, the transfer to hospitals scarcely ceases, in exchange for the great increase in the number of wounded.

Therefore, al-Badur believes in his talk with “An-Nahar al-Arabi” that the need for any efforts to support the work of the health sector in Gaza is becoming more and more evident. Field Hospital, thereby embodying the humanitarian aspect of the depth of the common and firm Jordanian position in supporting the Palestinian cause and always standing for the rights of the Palestinian people in all forms.

As large as the hospital stock in Gaza is, it continues to dwindle quickly, he said, adding that the priority in such situations is to provide basic medical supplies and vital equipment, especially oxygen, anesthesia, surgical sutures and the largest possible. Number of groups and beds.

Al-Batur called for more media coverage in the context of the Israeli occupation to intensify humanitarian dialogue, prioritize the protection of lives and ensure the provision of all health and medical services. For them, parallel to intensifying the entry of other aids is no less important, most importantly food. Despite the active Jordanian role in helping Gaza, and the violent Israeli bombardment that posed great danger to the field hospital and threatened to continue its work in Gaza, the King of Jordan ordered it to remain in the Gaza Strip and continue its work. Support the health system in treating the injured and sick.

Speaking of Jordan’s official humanitarian role in the Gaza Strip, we cannot ignore the long-standing efforts of the Hashemite charity to provide various forms of assistance to the residents of the area, whether in peacetime or during war. It has intensified its activities in this regard since the beginning of the last war, launching an open money and donation campaign in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and sending a first-aid plane to the Egyptian Al-Ai, participating in Jordan. Arish Airport, in addition to other relief aid shipments.

Finally, Jordan provided 3 million dinars for the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in Gaza (UNRWA), while the Ministry of Health allocated half a million Jordanian dinars worth of medical equipment and medicines. State television has launched a charity day-long “telethon” for the benefit of Gaza, which raised more than 11 million dinars.

This comes amid a massive public stance of solidarity with Gaza and support for its people, as the Kingdom sees daily demonstrations and events, and launches several financial and in-kind donation campaigns and other forms of support. Amid Jordanian political and diplomatic efforts, the kingdom took the decision on Wednesday to recall its ambassador in Tel Aviv to protest the Israeli army’s continued firing. The region and the world are working to end the war and limit the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

850 doctors volunteer to go to Gaza Jordanian Doctors Syndicate President Ziyad Al-Jobi confirmed that 850 doctors, including 250 surgeons, have registered their names as volunteers to go to Gaza, while the Syndicate Council decided to establish it. A field hospital in the Gaza Strip, in collaboration with other health societies and fully funded by the Council.

Al-Zoubi added, “Currently contacts are being made with the Egyptian Red Cross and the Egyptian Medical Association, and they are establishing a field hospital in Rafah, where wounded people from Gaza are being treated. Contacts are also being made with other international organizations for security. A location for the hospital inside the Gaza Strip or on the Egyptian border,” but he He insisted that no response had been received yet.

He said the Captains’ Council would present a proposal to the Jordanian Armed Forces to provide volunteers for doctors and other health workers to a proposed field hospital next to an existing Jordanian field hospital operating in the sector. union.”