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The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has secured government approval for Ireland to evacuate a number of sick children from Gaza to receive necessary medical treatment and care. This move comes in response to a request from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to address urgent health needs amidst the ongoing conflict in the region.
Minister Donnelly has worked extensively on this proposal with a team of medical doctors, the Irish Red Cross (IRC), and several Government Departments, including Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Social Protection. The Health Service Executive (HSE) will play a key role in coordinating services upon the arrival of the children, ensuring smooth travel to hospitals or accommodation as needed.
Minister Stephen Donnelly, commenting on the initiative, said:
“I really want to thank the nurses, the doctors, the Irish Red Cross and all who have been involved in ensuring Ireland steps up to this need. This is a modest but important step given the scale of the horrific conflict by the Israeli military forces. The continued and deliberate attacks on civilians and on healthcare facilities are wrong and should stop.”
Ireland is expected to receive up to 30 children from Gaza in 2024, with medical conditions such as cancer, the need for haemodialysis, and other severe ailments (excluding orthopaedic cases, to avoid disruption to Ireland’s own healthcare efforts in this field). Each case will be evaluated individually, with consideration for the available capacity in the Irish health system.
Under this humanitarian programme, each child will be accompanied by a carer, with accommodation managed by the Irish Red Cross. The package includes caseworker support, translation services, and psycho-social assessments for both the children and their carers.
Before travelling to Ireland, all patients and carers will undergo mandatory health screenings. Upon arrival at Baldonnel Aerodrome, national service providers will ensure that all required support is in place. The transfers will be facilitated by the EU’s Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), with the Department of Health coordinating with the Department of Defence and Defence Forces.
Minister Donnelly further remarked:
“The loss of life in this conflict is devastating, particularly the loss of life of civilian men, women and children. Our health service will work with colleagues across Government, across the EU and with the WHO to provide medical evacuation and treatment to those impacted.”
This initiative follows Ireland’s tradition of providing humanitarian assistance, and mirrors procedures already established for medical evacuations from Ukraine. Ireland’s strong commitment to global health efforts ensures that those in critical need of care will receive the required support.