Singapore foreign minister praises telemedicine team helping Gaza refugees on UAE-led hospital ship

Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan has thanked a team of doctors from the country who are providing telemedicine consultations for Gaza refugees. These Gaza refugees are being treated on a hospital ship led by the United Arab Emirates.

In an Instagram post, Vivian Balakrishnan is seen interacting with the team of medical professionals from the National University Hospital (NUH), the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) medical corps.

According to media reports, more than a million people in Gaza have been displaced by the Israel-Hamas conflict, which started on October 7, 2023, triggered by the unprecedented Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and resulting in the massacre and kidnapping of hundreds of Israelis. Some of the hostages have been in captivity in Gaza for more than a year now, while Gaza city itself has been pounded by weapons of war, with civilians dying and fleeing in large numbers.

To help injured Gaza civilians, the Singapore team has been offering tele-consultations for about a month-and-a-half now. The team consists of doctors, surgeons, and paediatricians, and they are working with the international team on the UAE-led floating hospital, anchored at Al-Arish Port in northeastern Egypt.

The Singapore minister’s Instagram post said: “Grateful to our healthcare professionals from NUH, KKH, and the SAF who are participating in virtual case conferences that support medical care for casualties of the war in Gaza. They are part of an international team led by the UAE.”

The UAE has been a steadfast partner in these humanitarian efforts to express our compassion in meaningful ways. We will continue working with all our partners in the Middle East to provide more humanitarian relief in Gaza. We reiterate our call for an urgent ceasefire and the immediate unconditional release of all hostages.

Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan

The Instagram video posted by Balakrishnan had Singapore doctors talking about what led them to become a part of this telemedicine consultation initiative to serve the injured people of Gaza. Alongside physical injuries, these patients also need support for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Dr Raj Menon, Centre Director, National University Centre for Trauma, NUH, said on the video: “We are fortunate to be in a region where there is safety. But I think all the more is that [the] impetus is on us then to step forward and reach out and to help people in need while we can.”

Thanking the health care professionals, Balakrishnan said that Singapore would “explore opportunities” to do even more to help the people of Gaza.

About the hospital ship, Khaleej Times had reported exactly 10 months ago — on February 8, 2024 — that the UAE had sent “a fully integrated maritime hospital” to Al Arish port “to provide necessary medical support to the Palestinian people”.

The Dubai-headquartered publication reported that the floating hospital “includes a medical and administrative staff of 100 people of various specialities, including anaesthesia, general surgery, orthopaedics, and emergency medicine, as well as nurses and paramedics”.