Renowned Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi gave the opening rendition at a charity concert organised by Qatar Red Crescent at Katara Drama Theatre recently. The concert was supported by Palestinian and Swiss ambassadors. The proceeds from the concert, Trio Jourban, were donated to Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, Palestine.
Children’s Relief Bethlehem focuses on the health and well-being of children in Palestine and their families, primarily in the southern parts of the West Bank - that is the Bethlehem and Hebron districts. It supports and managed by the Caritas Baby Hospital located in Bethlehem. The hospital’s mission is: “We are here to provide hope and enhance the well being of Palestinian children regardless of their social or religious background and their ability to pay, through our specialised, quality and safe health care services provided in a child-friendly environment.”
The Caritas Baby Hospital treated some 38,000 children in 2014; with 4,384 admissions in the Inpatient and 34,000 children in the Outpatient Clinic. It is a charity organisation, and therefore, the fees it charges are symbolic - in the spirit of safeguarding the dignity of the patients’ families by being able to contribute to the care of their children.
The Caritas Baby Hospital’s inpatient wards can care for up to 82 children - which is the total bed capacity. In addition, the hospital has an Intensive Care Unit with eight beds for emergencies and children in critical condition. When children require inpatient treatment, the mothers take an active part in caring for them. Hospital’s counsellors use the mothers’ time at the hospital as an opportunity to teach them. The women learn how to care for their children so as to prevent further illnesses. This is the only programme of its kind in Palestine. Children’s Relief Bethlehem considers it an important contribution to preventive healthcare in the region
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at CBH is specialised in the care of premature babies with risk of life-threatening complications. Many of these patients are coming from Bedouin villages from the Southern part of the West Bank. This region between Bethlehem and Hebron is very poor and is very much hit by the expansion of the Israeli settlements. In consequence, Palestinian families lack access to land, have limited mobility and hardly any economic perspectives. In this poor context, premature births are a high risk and without specialised treatment new born babies would die. By supporting the NICU people save the lives of the little babies of the poorest families in the West Bank.
Mother School
The hospital makes sure that the mothers of the sick children can stay at the hospital; having the mothers close to their sick children and integrating them into the treatment of the children is crucial for a steady and sustainable healing process. This section of the hospital is called the Mother School. There are special rooms to accommodate the mothers and teach them in hygiene, nutrition, general health education etc, while staying at the hospital. This programme positively affects the lives of the mothers and also of their community after getting back home.
