Emergency kits for skin grafts and basic bone surgery are part of 24.5 tonnes of medical aid being sent by the World Health Organisation from its logistics hub in Dubai on Tuesday to assist victims of the earthquake in Afghanistan.
The $330,000 worth of aid was loaded on to lorries at WHO warehouses in Dubai's International Humanitarian City (IHC) on Monday and was then flown to Kabul on Tuesday night.
From there, it will be distributed to assist people in the eastern provinces of Khost and Paktika where a 6.1-magnitude earthquake last Wednesday killed more than 1,000, injured at least 1,400 and left thousands homeless.
"Reports indicate that this is the deadliest earthquake in two decades, further compounding the alarming humanitarian situation in Afghanistan," said Giuseppe Saba, chief executive of IHC. "The IHC, under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is accelerating the rapid response of the international humanitarian community as it rallies to come to the aid of those impacted by the disaster."
It includes non-communicable disease (NCD) kits and testing equipment for cholera, the potentially fatal gastrointestinal infection that officials fear could spread rapidly amid a lack of safe water supplies and proper sanitation.
“We are in co-ordination minute-by-minute with our team in Afghanistan, who are the ones who requested the items. Once the items have arrived … the charter will be offloaded immediately and lorries will be ready to take the different supplies to clinics and hospitals in Afghanistan,” Nivien Attalla, operational manager of the WHO Logistics Hub in Dubai, told The National as the aid was being loaded.
This is the WHO's first shipment from Dubai for the earthquake victims, but only a small part of the global relief efforts carried out by the UN agency and the IHC.
“Last year we shipped to 129 countries, which means we're a global responder,” Ms Attalla said. “Most of the shipments go to the EMRO region — that is, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Pakistan and Somalia, which are among the top countries we're responding to.”
Tuesday's shipment of aid is likely to be followed by more, Mr Saba said.
“Once a full assessment of the situation is done, everybody knows there’ll be a second wave of humanitarian aid that will be moved,” he said.
Afghanistan is currently the IHC's number one priority, Mr Saba said.
“Many organisations that we host in IHC are working around the clock to mobilise resources, and we are co-ordinating with them to provide all the required support to transport relief from our warehouses into Afghanistan. Time is of the essence, and Dubai and the UAE’s leadership consider a swift response a humanitarian duty to save lives.”
“As of today, Afghanistan is the first country that’s being served by the IHC community, while the second one is Yemen and then number three, we have the critical situation in Europe with the Ukraine crisis,” he said.
In a year, the IHC sends out about 1,000 to 1,300 shipments.
“As of today we’re almost at 400 shipments through IHC [this year]”, Mr Saba said.
“IHC is the largest humanitarian hub in the world with 80 different organisations.”
Besides WHO, others include the World Food Programme, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) and Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund), Mr Saba said.
Last week, the UAE sent food, aid and medical supplies to Afghanistan after President Sheikh Mohamed ordered an air bridge to be established for the relief effort.
A medical team and field hospital were also sent to south-east Afghanistan, state news agency Wam reported.
Afghanistan is also suffering from an economic crisis, a drought reducing crop yields and a food crisis made worse by the Russian war in Ukraine, which has hit wheat exports across the world.
These problems, as well as the recent earthquake, have taken their toll on Afghans who have been struggling to find jobs and make ends meet through decades of conflict.
Speaking to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), unemployed lorry driver Ahmad Siar said: “I am always thinking about how to support my family of six children. This is not only about me but all Afghans.”
“Despite these challenges, we have to be hopeful,” he said.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
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Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Day 2 at the Gabba
Australia 312-1
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):
PSG (2) v Manchester United (0)
Midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
more from Janine di Giovanni
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Richard Jewell
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley
Two-and-a-half out of five stars
