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Beds from Olympic ceremony shipped to Tunisian hospitals

318 beds were shipped to under-resourced Tunisian hospitals

Islamic Relief has distributed 318 hospital beds to under-resourced public health services in Tunisia where lack of equipment and services remain a great challenge. The unique project was in partnership with the Tunisian Ministry of Health and the Association Tunisia Charity.

After the Olympics Opening Ceremony a team of many volunteers worked to remove the LED pillows, duvets, batteries and wiring to prepare them for shipping. The beds were then shipped from the UK in eight 40-feet containers to the Tunisia Port of Rades.

The beds were donated to Regional Hospitals and other health institutions in the three southern governorates of Mednine, Gbelli, and Gafsa, targeting 25 medical institutions. Gafsa has received 80 beds, Mednine 120 beds and Gbilli 118 beds. The in-kind donation was much appreciated since these three regions are far away from better-equipped services in southern Tunisian cities.

Mr. Ali Fajrawi, the Health Regional Director of the Governorate of Gafsa, said that the donation of beds was timely since there is a serious problem of over-crowdedness in the hospitals situated in the south. The hospital in Gafsa particularly benefited from the in-kind donation because it has recently finished constructing a Cancer Treatment Department and was in need of beds to inaugurate the new department.

The representative of the 25 institution in the three governorates sent his thanks to Islamic Relief USA and Project C.U.R.E. for their joint donation.

Islamic Relief has been present in Tunisia since 2011, responding to refugees fleeing from Libya and providing seasonal Ramadan and Qurbani programmes.