Donated ambulance a shot in arm for rural health sector

Pretoria – The donation of an ambulance fitted with medical equipment by the State of Qatar to the Qunu clinic in the Eastern Cape would go a long way in enhancing the capacity of the health centre to deliver services to the rural community.

This was the view of the state of Qatar’s ambassador to South Africa Tariq Ali Faraj Al-Ansari during the handover ceremony at the embassy in Pretoria yesterday.

The donation was handed over to Thembekile Mandela Foundation, headed by the late Nelson Mandela’s grandchild Ndileka Mandela.

Through her foundation, Mandela was instrumental in securing the donation from the State of Qatar on behalf of the Qunu clinic.

Al-Ansari said Qatar was also considering supporting the renovation and expansion of the health facility, saying it was a gesture “to reaffirm the importance of the support to the people in need and to serve humanity”.

He said the support of the health sector was an integral part of the policy of Qatar, which was stipulated in the government’s national strategy.

The donation, he said, was also thanks to the strong partnership between Qatar and South Africa founded in 1994.

“We were also glad when His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa, participated in Qatar’s economic forum last month.

“For me as the ambassador of Qatar, I was entrusted with the very important task to enhance and further develop the relationship between Qatar and South Africa,” Al-Ansari said.

Mandela said she was approached in March that the embassy would like to assist with the donation to the health sector.

She said the donation was a demonstration that a public and private partnership can bear fruit to the benefit of the community.

“It is important that triple Ps (public private partnerships) work optimally because we cannot only relegate the responsibility of delivering services to the public sector. It is important that the private sector, business, and civil society are also able to put their spoke in the wheel,” Mandela said. She said her foundation worked in partnership with the provincial Department of Health to make sure the ambulance would be taken care of.

Pretoria News