Mercy aims to build rehabilitation centre
Mercy Malaysia plans to build a rehabilitation centre in Gaza for those who have lost their limbs in the Israeli attacks.
Dr Heng Aik Cheng said the physiotherapy services were under undue stress in Gaza which once had a good rehabilitation hospital but was damaged in the attacks.
“This is so important because many people have lost their limbs and some have lost the use of their limbs when the nerves were injured due to bomb blasts and gun shot wounds,” said Dr Heng.
“We feel this would be one of our best contributions,” he said when met at Rafah, Palestine.
Dr Heng said the Mercy team looked around for places to set up the centre and finally identified three possibilities. He estimated the cost to be around US$1mil (RM3.62mil).
“We hope to stay in Gaza until the rehabilitation centre is set up. We would like it to be a long-term project where our volunteers can come and work in hospitals here, teach and transfer knowledge and operational techniques,” said Dr Heng who is leading the Mercy team here.
Speaking of the difficulties doctors faced in getting into Gaza, Dr Heng said the team of six specialist doctors had to wait for over four hours at the Rafah Egypt gate before they were finally let in.
The Egyptian Immigration, he said, wanted to know what sort of doctors they were and their areas of expertise because they had a quota on how many could be allowed in. Dr Heng said they were lucky. A group of 30 Qatari doctors were stuck in Jordan and not allowed to enter Gaza.
Dr Heng added that the day his team got inside, the media were also allowed in.
He said Mercy Malaysia had a long-term programme and was not going to be there just for a week or two.
“People should be allowed to come in. The borders are a massive problem,” he said, adding that volunteers would be frustrated if they were made to wait long at the borders. Dr Heng said lorry loads of supplies also needed to be brought in across the borders.
Because of an economic embargo on Gaza since June 2007, the Egyptian and Israeli border crossings had been closed.
It was only late into the third week of the war that the Egyptians eased and allowed doctors, aid workers and pressmen in.
Dr Heng said Palestine was at war for such a long time and hence there were several medical cases that date back to five and six years.
There were a lot of horrific bomb wounds, gunshots and burn injuries too from the recent 22-day Israeli military operation.
Dr Heng pointed out that some of the weapons used were specifically targeted at people, not buildings.
“Warfare is bad and there is no need to aggravate it by aiming it directly at people,” he said, expressing concern that closed borders meant that Gazan doctors could not get out and most foreign doctors could not get in.
He added that hospitals were inadequately equipped and several machines and instruments were spoilt and have yet to be replaced.
- THE STAR
Dr Heng Aik Cheng said the physiotherapy services were under undue stress in Gaza which once had a good rehabilitation hospital but was damaged in the attacks.
“This is so important because many people have lost their limbs and some have lost the use of their limbs when the nerves were injured due to bomb blasts and gun shot wounds,” said Dr Heng.
“We feel this would be one of our best contributions,” he said when met at Rafah, Palestine.
Dr Heng said the Mercy team looked around for places to set up the centre and finally identified three possibilities. He estimated the cost to be around US$1mil (RM3.62mil).
“We hope to stay in Gaza until the rehabilitation centre is set up. We would like it to be a long-term project where our volunteers can come and work in hospitals here, teach and transfer knowledge and operational techniques,” said Dr Heng who is leading the Mercy team here.
Speaking of the difficulties doctors faced in getting into Gaza, Dr Heng said the team of six specialist doctors had to wait for over four hours at the Rafah Egypt gate before they were finally let in.
The Egyptian Immigration, he said, wanted to know what sort of doctors they were and their areas of expertise because they had a quota on how many could be allowed in. Dr Heng said they were lucky. A group of 30 Qatari doctors were stuck in Jordan and not allowed to enter Gaza.
Dr Heng added that the day his team got inside, the media were also allowed in.
He said Mercy Malaysia had a long-term programme and was not going to be there just for a week or two.
“People should be allowed to come in. The borders are a massive problem,” he said, adding that volunteers would be frustrated if they were made to wait long at the borders. Dr Heng said lorry loads of supplies also needed to be brought in across the borders.
Because of an economic embargo on Gaza since June 2007, the Egyptian and Israeli border crossings had been closed.
It was only late into the third week of the war that the Egyptians eased and allowed doctors, aid workers and pressmen in.
Dr Heng said Palestine was at war for such a long time and hence there were several medical cases that date back to five and six years.
There were a lot of horrific bomb wounds, gunshots and burn injuries too from the recent 22-day Israeli military operation.
Dr Heng pointed out that some of the weapons used were specifically targeted at people, not buildings.
“Warfare is bad and there is no need to aggravate it by aiming it directly at people,” he said, expressing concern that closed borders meant that Gazan doctors could not get out and most foreign doctors could not get in.
He added that hospitals were inadequately equipped and several machines and instruments were spoilt and have yet to be replaced.
- THE STAR
MOHD ADHA MOHD ZAIN (ADHA ZAIN)
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