In implementation of the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, four shipments of urgent medical aid — provided by Qatar through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) — were sent to Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia yesterday.
The medical assistance from Qatar comes in support of the efforts of friendly countries in combating the Covid-19 outbreak.
The four shipments weighed a total of 34 tonnes, QFFD tweeted.
The official Qatar News Agency (QNA) later reported that a shipment arrived at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, to contribute to countering the Covid-19 outbreak.
The medical aid plane was received by a number of senior Afghan officials, Qatar’s ambassador to Afghanistan Saeed bin Mubarak al-Khayarin and media representatives.
The shipment weighed 8.5 tonnes, according to QFFD.
Similarly, a medical aid shipment arrived at Sarajevo International Airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, QNA reported.
The medical aid plane was received by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr Bisera Turkovic, charge d’affaires at the Qatari embassy Hamad al-Hajri and a number of senior officials and representatives of the international and local media. This shipment, too weighed 8.5 tonnes.
A plane carrying medical aid also arrived in Skopje, North Macedonia.
It was received by the Deputy Prime Minister of Macedonia Bujar Osmani, Deputy Minister of Health Armend Asllani and acting chargé d’affaires at the Qatari embassy Hamad Jassim Gharib al-Mahmood, QNA said.
In his speech on this occasion, Osmani thanked His Highness the Amir for providing medical assistance at this critical time, noting that the assistance would help the Macedonian government meet the economic challenges of the epidemic as well.
For his part, the Macedonian Deputy Minister of Health expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation to the Qatari government for providing the medical supplies and protective clothing that the medical teams need in Macedonian health institutions to address the Covid-19 outbreak.
Al-Mahmood said the shipment of Qatari medical aid carried 8.5 tonnes of medical supplies and protective clothing to support the Macedonian health sector to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He affirmed that Qatar stood alongside North Macedonia and its friendly people, wishing that the crisis would be over soon, QNA added.