The Caritas Baby Hospital administration responded to a request by the Palestinian Ministry of Health to provide a diagnostic testing service for the Corona virus as of March 14th. In an earlier announcement, the Palestinian Minister of Health, Dr. May Al-kieleh said that the cooperation between the Ministry's partners in the health sector is an essential pillar to combat Coronavirus and limit its spread.
According to the medical director of Caritas Baby Hospital, Dr. Hiyam Marzouqa Awad, the tests will be carried out according to the laboratory standards of the WHO and the central health laboratories. The Palestinian Ministry of Health will continue the process of taking samples from potential Covid 19 patients from inside their homes or in disease-sorting centers to prevent any mixing with other citizens. The Ministry will also provide Caritas Baby Hospital with laboratory materials and technicians. In turn, Caritas Baby Hospital will provide laboratory equipment and technicians to support the Ministry’s team. Caritas Baby Hospital administration has also dedicated a separate building for laboratory analysis so that medical and operational services in the main hospital building are not affected with the new procedure.
On this cooperation, Mr. Issa Al-Bandak, CEO of Caritas Baby Hospital stated: "We are proud of the confidence of the Palestinian Ministry of Health to carry out these tests in the Caritas Baby Hospital laboratory." Al-Bandak added: “Caritas Baby Hospital has been and remains to be a national institution that supports the Palestinian Health system.”
The Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Shtayeh declared earlier this month a state of emergency in Palestine due to the discovery of the first case of the virus, which included a series of precautionary and preventive measures.
