Latest news with #SarbiniAbdulMurad
Arab News
02-03-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Jakarta NGO sends off new batch of medics to volunteer at Gaza hospital
JAKARTA: A new group of Indonesian medics is on their way to Gaza to volunteer at the Indonesia Hospital, the Jakarta-based nongovernmental organization that assembled the team said on Sunday, as uncertainties loom over the second phase of the ceasefire. The Indonesian NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, or MER-C, has been organizing teams of doctors and nurses since last March, as part of emergency deployments led by the World Health Organization. The latest batch, comprising two general practitioners, a nurse, an anesthesiologist and a midwife, departed Jakarta on Saturday and is expected to enter Gaza in the next couple of days. 'They will be stationed at the Indonesia Hospital, as the facility has resumed operations,' Sarbini Abdul Murad, chairman of MER-C's board of trustees in Jakarta, told Arab News on Sunday. 'Gaza is in need of different kinds of doctors, as the number of victims and the availability of local doctors are disproportionate.' MER-C has so far sent 45 volunteers to Gaza as part of its emergency medical teams, which previously comprised other specialists, including internists and surgeons. The Indonesia Hospital — a facility that was funded and opened by MER-C in late 2015 — was one of the first sites hit when Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023. Since the first phase of the ceasefire began on Jan. 19, the hospital has also been gradually resuming essential services, from surgeries to emergency and inpatient services, as it worked to reach at least 50 percent of full capacity by July. For nurse Ade Andrian, a member of MER-C's latest emergency medical team, the opportunity to volunteer in Gaza was a long time coming, having first registered in 2023, a couple of months after Israel began its latest assault on the enclave. 'Praise be to God that today I have been given the chance to join the EMT to be a part of the humanitarian mission for the people of Gaza,' Andrian said. However, as the first stage of the ceasefire ended without agreement on continuing into a second phase and Israel moved to block entry of all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the latest developments are sparking concerns. 'The blocking of humanitarian aid will not only impact the Indonesia Hospital but also all the other hospitals in Gaza and also the residents of the enclave,' MER-C's Murad said. 'We hope that Israel will soon continue with the ceasefire deal according to what was agreed. If this is violated, then we fear another massive wave of civilian loss.'
Arab News
27-02-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza resumes inpatient services
JAKARTA: The Indonesia Hospital in northern Gaza has resumed inpatient services, the Jakarta-based NGO that funded it said on Thursday, as the facility races to resume full operations after repairs to the building and equipment that were destroyed by Israeli forces. The health facility in Beit Lahiya, funded by the Indonesian NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, was one of the first sites hit when Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023. As relentless Israeli attacks pushed the enclave's healthcare system to the brink of collapse, the Indonesia Hospital stood as one of the last functioning health facilities in the north. Since the ceasefire began on Jan. 19, the hospital has been gradually resuming essential services, with inpatient treatment being the latest. 'The Indonesia Hospital is resuming its operations to handle sick patients,' Sarbini Abdul Murad, chairman of MER-C's board of trustees in Jakarta, told Arab News. 'We hope to renovate and rebuild every part of the facility that was destroyed, as well as fully supply the hospital to meet all of the patients' needs.' Israeli forces targeted and heavily damaged most of the medical facilities in the Gaza Strip. The Indonesia Hospital was treating about 1,000 people at one point during Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,300 people and injured over 111,000. Since last month, it has resumed services for emergencies, surgeries, radiology, laboratory, outpatient and inpatient treatments, and is now operating at 30 percent of full capacity 'Six months from the beginning of the ceasefire, we are aiming to reactivate essential services to reach at least 50 percent of full capacity,' Dr. Hadiki Habib, chairman of MER-C's executive committee, told Arab News. The Indonesia Hospital will be the main referral hospital in northern Gaza and some parts of Gaza City, after the former main referral hospital, Al-Shifa, was destroyed by Israeli siege and attacks. 'There is a great need for essential services,' Habib said. 'Over a year of displacement and limited access (to healthcare), many Palestinians with chronic illnesses need quality treatments.'
Arab News
27-01-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Jakarta NGO to rebuild Indonesian hospital as Palestinians return to north Gaza
JAKARTA: A Jakarta-based nongovernmental organization has committed to rebuilding the Indonesia Hospital in northern Gaza as Palestinians began returning to the area on Monday. The Indonesia Hospital in Beit Lahiya, funded by the Indonesian NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, was one of the first targets hit when Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023. As relentless Israeli attacks pushed the enclave's healthcare system to the brink of collapse, the Indonesia Hospital had stood as one of the last functioning health facilities in the north. 'Since the war started, the Indonesia Hospital has served as one of the main healthcare centers for residents of Gaza in the north. It has been attacked multiple times, damaging parts of the building itself and also various health equipment,' Sarbini Abdul Murad, chairman of MER-C's board of trustees in Jakarta, told Arab News on Monday. 'We need to rebuild and fill it up with all the necessary health equipment … It is our moral commitment to rebuilding the hospital.' Israel has frequently targeted medical facilities in the Gaza Strip, saying that they are used by Palestinian armed groups. The Indonesia Hospital opened in 2015 and was officially inaugurated by the country's then-Vice President Jusuf Kalla in 2016. The four-story general hospital stands on a 16,200 sq. meter plot of land near the Jabalia refugee camp in North Gaza, donated by the local government in 2009. The hospital's construction and equipment were financed from donations of the Asia nation's people, as well as organizations including the Indonesian Red Cross Society. Since it opened almost a decade ago, MER-C continued to send volunteers to help. A couple of them stayed in Gaza until late last year, as MER-C also sent medical volunteers to the besieged enclave since March as part of a larger emergency deployment led by the World Health Organization. The Indonesia Hospital was treating about 1,000 people at one point during Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 47,300 people and injured over 111,000. 'Many Indonesians are looking forward for the Indonesia Hospital to return to normal operations again, and this is the trust that MER-C keeps close because the hospital is a symbol of unity between Indonesians and Palestinians,' Murad said. 'Healthcare is an urgent need for Palestinians, so we want to offer our support here in our field of expertise.' Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to the remains of their destroyed homes in north Gaza on Monday, after Israel opened the Netzarim corridor, a 7 km strip of land controlled by Israeli forces that cuts off the enclave's north from the rest of the territory. 'We hope Israel will continue to give access for Gaza residents to return to their homes in the north peacefully and not breach the ceasefire agreement in any way,' Murad said.
