From Heart to Heart: Zayed Global Humanitarian Campaigns begin missions in Egyptian villages

The Zayed Global Humanitarian Campaigns have launched their humanitarian missions in Egyptian villages under the supervision of a joint Emirati-Egyptian volunteer medical team. This is being carried out through the organisation of a series of forums aimed at attracting thousands of doctors and nurses, qualifying and empowering them to serve the community by providing diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive healthcare services under the slogan:

"From Heart to Heart... For You, Egypt... Following the Path and Legacy of Zayed the Giver.”

The initiative is launched by Zayed Giving Initiative, the UAE National Readiness and Response Programme (Jaheziya), Dar Al Ber Society, Sharjah Charity House Foundation, the Emirates Volunteer Centre, the Arab Youth Volunteer Leaders Programme, the Young Volunteer and Humanitarian Leaders Programme, and is managed by the Emirates Mobile Clinics for Heart Care and the National Training Institute (Tadreeb).

Dr Adel Al Shamry Al Ajmi, CEO of the Zayed Giving Initiative, Chairman of Emirates Doctors, and Head of the UAE National Readiness and Response Programme (Jaheziya), stated that over the past 25 years, the Zayed Giving Initiative has succeeded in attracting thousands of doctors from the UAE and the Arab Republic of Egypt, from both public and private sectors, who have volunteered more than one million hours in medical convoys and camps across various Egyptian villages as part of a joint Emirati-Egyptian volunteer programme.

He emphasised that Egyptian doctors have played an active role in all humanitarian missions of the Zayed Giving Initiative, not only in its current mission in Egypt, but also in previous international missions since its launch in 2000 from the UAE, including Morocco, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Jordan, Eritrea, Tanzania, and Egypt. These missions have benefited millions of children and elderly people and have performed thousands of heart surgeries through mobile hospitals and clinics equipped with the latest medical technologies, under the supervision of elite doctors and surgeons from leading international university hospitals.

Abdullah Bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Dar Al Ber Society, stated that the Emirati-Egyptian volunteer forums aim to attract Emirati and Egyptian medical professionals, promote the culture of volunteer healthcare, community giving, and human tolerance, and empower medical cadres to serve humanity. This aligns with the humanitarian spirit of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and follows the directives of the wise leadership in both brotherly countries to strengthen partnerships between Emirati and Egyptian health, humanitarian, and volunteer institutions, and to adopt innovative initiatives that provide sustainable solutions to advance the health and community sectors.

The forums include organising specialised medical conferences and conducting field and virtual training workshops, in addition to operating mobile clinics and a field hospital in Egyptian villages to provide free diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive services to various segments of society, in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population.

Sultan Al Khayal, Secretary General of Sharjah Charity House Foundation, stated that the Emirates-Egypt Doctors Forums coincide with the work of medical convoys and mobile clinics that have begun their volunteer missions in Egyptian villages under the slogan "From Heart to Heart,” aiming to strengthen relations between health, humanitarian, and volunteer institutions in both brotherly countries and activate joint efforts to adopt innovative initiatives that enhance health, promote the culture of volunteer healthcare among medical professionals, and empower them to serve communities. This comes as a gesture of gratitude to Egypt, which contributed to the development and establishment of the UAE through the efforts of its doctors, engineers, and educators.

He added that the Emirati-Egyptian humanitarian volunteer forums provide a fertile environment for knowledge exchange and discussion of the latest developments in medical fields, as well as the launch of community health initiatives and innovative projects that enrich volunteerism and community work.

Egyptian heart surgeon Dr Salah Aboubakr Al Shafi, from the Arab Youth Humanitarian Leaders Programme, stated that the volunteer medical teams have successfully provided diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive services to hundreds of children, women, and elderly people using mobile clinics and a field hospital equipped with the latest facilities.

He noted that the mobile field hospital enhanced its humanitarian mission through broad participation from doctors and nurses from both countries, who volunteered to work within the joint Emirati-Egyptian medical team out of their commitment to fieldwork and serving underprivileged groups.

He added that Egyptian medical professionals are keen to participate in the Zayed Global Humanitarian Campaign in its various missions around the world, noting that the UAE is among the world’s leading countries in providing assistance and implementing healthcare programmes for underprivileged patients regardless of colour, gender, or religion.

He praised the pioneering role of volunteer doctors from the UAE and Egypt, who have contributed their knowledge, effort, and skills to assist underprivileged patients through volunteering in medical convoys across Egyptian villages, benefiting more than one million children and elderly people over the past 25 years.

WAM