GOOD USE Gibraltar has donated equipment no longer used by St Bernard’s Hospital to the Red Crescent in Morocco. Minister for Health Dr John Cortes and Dr Assouali, Red Crescent, shake hands and express thanks and delight at the donation of £750,000 worth of equipment from the GHA. Represented at the event were the Red Cross Gibraltar, OSG Logistics and the Moroccan community in Gibraltar.
The Government of Gibraltar has donated equipment no longer used by the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) to the Red Crescent organisation in Morocco.
Minister for Health, Dr John Cortes, received Dr Assouali from the Red Crescent at St Bernard’s Hospital yesterday, where they viewed the loading of equipment being donated to the Red Crescent Hospital in Tetouan.
The materials are seen here being loaded into a container for the Red Crescent in Morocco.
While the equipment is now surplus to requirements in Gibraltar, its replacement value is estimated to be close to £750,000 and will be put to much needed use in hospitals in north Morocco.
The Minister said, “I would like to say that it is a very important moment for me personally, I have done a lot of work in Morocco, and my father lived in Tetouan for some time. Also for Gibraltar to be able to return in this way all the good that the Moroccan community did for us, back in the day when the frontier closed, to me that is very important. As the Government declared, since and before the election we are totally committed to a good relationship with our neighbour in the south, this will enhance it and help it going forward.”
Dr Assouali from the Red Crescent speaking in Arabic and translated into Spanish by Ali Douissi a representative for the Moroccan Community, thanked the GHA, the Minister and the people of Gibraltar for their generosity and support, he explained this will really help the Red Crescent and their work in Tetouan.
The GHA’s Director of Estates and Clinical Engineering Derek Alman had assistance in the organisation of the transfer of equipment to Red Crescent by Eddie Davies of the Gibraltar Red Cross.
The equipment is being transferred with the help of OSG Logistics, part of the Bland Group. It will travel via the Gib-Tangier ferry link this evening and will be delivered to the hospital in Tetouan.
The GHA feel that “It receives generous support from different Charities, and so it is only right that it continues the cycle of goodwill and generosity by ensuring all GHA equipment that might be of use to other communities is also donated.”
