New Water Plant Opens At Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza, Thanks To You
A new £300,000 specially-built water filtration plant provided by Islamic Help supporters and serving more than 230,000 people every year at Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital has been officially opened.
The plant was manufactured in Italy and shipped to Gaza where it was installed in the hospital for final tests before becoming fully operational.
Al Shifa is considered the largest medical centre in the general Gaza Strip area, serving a population of 540,000 people, and throughout the year it provides medical services for more than 230,000 patients.
It has a dialysis complex considered the largest in the Gaza strip but the sharp rise in salinity in the water has presented problems for these special procedures as well as other medical treatments.
Al Shifa Hospital relies on 2 wells for its water but salination (salt in water) has affected its use for drinking and health care. The new plant will purify the water and pump it via a network of pipes to the hospital, ensuring that it is safe and clean for human consumption and medical procedures.
The inauguration ceremony included dignitaries and senior officials from the Palestinian government and health authorities.
They included Ma’moun Abu Shahla, the Minister of Labour; Dr Yosuf Abu Rish, the Deputy Minister of Health; Dr Majid Abu Ramadan, chairman of the board at CMWU (the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility); Monther Shoblaq, director of CMWU, and Islamic Help’s Dr Wael Abdelal.
Photo: From the left, Dr Majid Abu Ramadan, CMWU; Mr Ma’moun Abu Shahla, representative of Palestinian Authority; Dr Wael Abdelal, Islamic Help; Dr Yosuf Abu Rish,Ministry of Health.
Dr Majid Abu Ramadan expressed his gratitude and thanks to Islamic Help and its supporters and donors for making the project come to fruition. The desalination plant will produce 500 cubic meters of desalinated water per day which is sufficient for all the needs of the hospital.
Dr Yosuf Abu Rish also thanked Islamic Help and said the salinity of the existing water supply had reached such high levels that it had adversely affected and damaged medical equipment.
Dr Wael Abdelal extended his thanks on behalf of Islamic Help to the CMWU and partners on the project and said it was the result of a cumulative effort over the last year to respond to the needs of Al Shifa.
Dr Abdelal also indicated that this project and others for the construction of wells and desalination plants were among Islamic Help’s priorities to help the Palestinian people, especially in light of the deteriorating water situation in the Gaza Strip.
As part of the Water For Gaza appeal, donors were encouraged to contribute £200 each.
Those donating £1,000 had their names or the name of a loved one on a plaque which has been erected at the plant.
