Patriarch Theophilos opens clinic in Gaza for war victims

Patriarch Theophilos opening a clinic in Gaza for war victims. Photo: Orthodoxia News Agency

During a joint pastoral visit to the Gaza Strip, Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa opened a clinic of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.

The new medical facility was established through a collaboration between the Order of Malta and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with the active support of Christian communities in the region. The clinic is staffed by 30 specialists, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. The center will provide primary healthcare to approximately 100 patients daily.

According to the clinic's medical director, Dr. Ali Ibrahim Al-Musaddar, healthcare for the population of Gaza is in a catastrophic state. He stated that more than 60% of medical facilities in the region have been completely destroyed, while many others have suffered serious damage.

In the absence of basic hygiene among an exhausted population, skin diseases are spreading rapidly, making the opening of the new center critically important.

The project has been funded and supported by the foreign ministries of Germany and the Czech Republic, UNICEF, as well as the Catholic archdioceses of Munich and Paderborn. Since the start of the military conflict in 2023, the organization Malteser International has already delivered more than 200 tons of humanitarian aid and medicine to affected residents.

As the UOJ reported, Patriarch Theophilos received the Athens Medal for his assistance to those affected by the war in Gaza.

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