QRCS provided polio vaccination for children in Syria.
Doha: In 2020, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) redoubled its efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, mobilising all its resources to relieve the socioeconomic and health impacts on Qatar's vulnerable groups and around the world.
As to Medical Services, QRCS deployed its medical professionals everywhere to serve the patients at health centers, quarantine facilities, and outdoor service centers. Health educators delivered face-to-face and online lectures/courses amid full preventive measures. In total, these services were provided for 1,433,083 persons at the cost of QR404,462,858 mn.
QRCS intensified its medical, social, protective, informative, and voluntary activities locally and, at the same time, worked with counterparts in many host countries to protect their people against the outbreak.
As a humanitarian auxiliary to Qatar and an active member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, QRCS carried out many relief interventions in response to natural disasters in Lebanon, Sudan, and the Philippines, among others. It continued to back sustainable development plans in host communities and was present on the humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy front.
For the first time, QRCS took part in the Qatar National Day parade, in front of the country's leaders and top figures, notably the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
This historical moment brought honour to the medical professionals, volunteers, and relief workers from QRCS. It was in recognition of their heroic achievements, dedication, and national loyalty, being in the frontline with other organizations in the country.
The number of beneficiaries from QRCS's local development and volunteering activities exceeded 111,160 vulnerable persons at a cost of QR19,272,490 mn. This area can be divided into social care, community development, and Al Khor Branch.
QRCS's Medical Affairs Division works in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC). The services are emergency medical services (EMS), community health training, Workers' Health Centers, and Mekaines Quarantine Facility.
Internationally, QRCS expanded its outreach to new countries in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Its relief and development operations went on normally for the victims of conflict and natural disasters. It delivered QR139,714,612 mn worth of humanitarian aid to 4,975,918 refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and poor people in 33 countries (Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mali, Kenya, Mauritania, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Albania, Montenegro, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Peru, El Salvador, Panama, Laos, Mongolia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Vanuatu, and Venezuela).
A large-scale international relief initiative was launched to help National Societies in 22 countries across six continents to fight the virus. A budget of QR2,236,827 mn was allocated for the scheme, which was implemented directly by QRCS's foreign representation offices and missions in some countries, and in cooperation with the host fellow National Societies.
There were seasonal campaigns such as the Ramadan Campaign, Adahi Campaign, and Warm Winter Campaign. Concerning emergency relief interventions, QRCS's humanitarian providers were there to help the populations affected by the Beirut Harbor explosion in Lebanon, flash floods in Sudan, and Typhoon Vamco in the Philippines, to name a few. Many of these operations were funded by Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).
