The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, have blessed a new healthcare clinic in Gaza. Source: The Tablet.
The clinic was established through a partnership between the Order of Malta and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and is run by Malteser International, the Order of Malta’s humanitarian aid agency.
The Order of Malta said that about 30 staff members, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, will begin providing primary health care to up to 100 people each day.
Josef Blotz, grand hospitaller of the Order of Malta, described the blessing of the clinic as “a historic milestone”.
“This clinic will provide lifesaving medical care to people in need and show them that they are not forgotten,” Dr Blotz said.
“More than 900 years after the Order of Malta’s foundation in the Holy Land, it continues to serve those in need regardless of religion or background.”
Gaza’s healthcare system remains under severe strain: according to the World Health Organisation, only about half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially operational, while none are functioning at full capacity.
“Medical care for people in Gaza is currently in a catastrophic state,” Dr Ali Ibrahim Al-Musaddar, medical director of the clinic, said. “All hospitals in the Strip have sustained some level of damage, and critical shortages of medicines, medical supplies, and equipment continue to disrupt essential services.”
During the June 22-23 trip, Cardinal Pizzaballa also visited Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital, both of which have been damaged by Israeli strikes.
The patriarchs visited families living amid the ruins and in temporary accommodation, and Cardinal Pizzaballa blessed a newly renovated building that will expand the kindergarten’s capacity for the coming school year.
“Preparations are underway to provide as many young people as possible with education,” the cardinal said. “Children who have seen so many terrible things need to encounter beauty again.”
He also visited Caritas Jerusalem’s team in Gaza, who briefed him on the services they continue to provide to the local population and on their most urgent needs, and he reaffirmed the importance of sustaining humanitarian and medical assistance for all those affected by the conflict.
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Cardinal Pizzaballa blesses new clinic and kindergarten in Gaza (By Aili Winstanley Channer, The Tablet)
