DUBAI: The UAE signed a $25 million agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday to support Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem.

The agreement, facilitated by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), comes as part of the UAE’s efforts to improve the healthcare sector in Palestine, according to an official statement on the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

Sultan Mohammed Al-Shamsi, the UAE’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs, said the contribution is expected to benefit about 130,000 patients with enhanced medical services at the hospital.

“The agreement falls within the framework of the UAE’s permanent, historical, and consistent commitment to meet the needs of the Palestinian people, particularly in the health sector,” Al-Shamsi added.

In a statement, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that health is not a luxury, but a human right, and it is central to development.”

Rik Peeperkorn, head of the WHO office for West Bank and Gaza, said the UAE’s contribution will help sustain the immediate delivery of essential healthcare services at Al Makassed Hospital.

“It will also improve the quality of Al Makassed’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department and assist in the training of medical specialists for all of Palestine,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Adnan Farhoud, Director-General of Al Makassed Hospital, thanked the UAE for the contribution, noting that it would transform the hospital’s operations and services.