Tunisia Covid-19 Impact Report | Islamic Relief Canada

Emergency Support to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 Tunisia

Thank you!

Assalamu Alaikum dear donors,

On behalf of Islamic Relief Canada, I would like to thank you for your support of our Emergency Support to Prevent the Spread COVID-19 project in Tunisia. We pray that Allah accepts your efforts and contributions, and that He reward you generously for your donation.

Our special thanks goes to the Besrour Foundation, TUNCAD, Radio Maghreb, Wassim F. and the generous Tunisian community in Canada for your considerable and notable efforts to fundraise and support this project!

Your contribution of over $41,000 has helped bring immediate relief and long-term support to the people of Tunisia. With your support, we were able to provide 14 hospitals across Tunis, Gafsa, Kebilli, Kasserine, Sousse, Manouba, Ariana, and Sfax with much needed equipment to increase their capacity to help and combat the spread of COVID-19. This equipment will continue to help an estimated total of over 27,000 individuals every year.

We are extremely grateful to donors like yourself for supporting our emergency and development efforts across the world. Because of your generosity, your brothers and sisters in Tunisia were not left alone in their time of need.

We pray that Allah accepts our efforts and grants us the ability to continue helping those in need across the world, Ameen.

Warmest Regards,

Usama Khan CEO, Islamic Relief Canada

Summary of Project Progress

Project Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects around the world. Tunisia entered its fourth wave of the pandemic on June 7th, 2021 – and in response, the government introduced new measures in an effort to control the spread of the virus. In governorates where cases were high, a general lockdown was enforced, which particularly affected four regions: Beja, Siliana, Zaghouan, and Kairouan.

ICU units across the country became full and could not admit new cases. The healthcare system in Tunisia was stretched beyond its limits. It was reported that some patients were transferred from beds to wheelchairs as hospitals struggled to manage the influx of patients and staff shortages. This, along with the budgetary constraints of the Ministry of Health (MoH), meant that civil societies and non-governmental organizations

(NGOs) needed to intervene to provide support. With your support, Islamic Relief Tunisia was available to provide immediate support in this regard.

Project Summary

This project aimed to support the efforts of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and local NGOs to fight the spread of the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Tunisia. As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed in Tunisia, changes were made to the overall objective of the project. This included a change in equipment to be donated, as well as an increasing the project implementation period.

Following a request from the MoH, the Islamic Relief Tunisia team set out to provide different equipment to 14 hospitals in 8 governorates. This was done using the equipment list and specifications shared by the MoH.

During the procurement process, an MoH specialist also participated in the selection, verification, and approval of the items.

There were some unforeseen and inevitable delays in the procurement process related to the customs office. However, immediately after the items were cleared, all the equipment was distributed to the hospitals as per the distribution timeline.

14 hospitals were provided with medical equipment to strengthen their overall capacity in various departments. This intervention is both impactful now as well as longterm. Regional health coordinators and hospital staff provided very positive feedback on the intervention and were very cooperative in determining other needs (which provides a greater insight on hospital needs in Tunisia).

Equipment Distribution Breakdown

Governorates Hospitals

Tunis

Institute National M.B.Hmida de Neurologie

5 surveillance monitors and 2 resuscitation beds (used in neurology and anaesthesia departments)

2 surveillance monitors (used in gynaecology department) Centre de Maternite Tunis

CHU M.Slim Marsa

5 syringe pumps, 3 emergency trolleys (used in the nephrology and cardiology department)

Ariana

HR M.Matri

Items Received from Islamic Relief Manouba

Institut M.Kassab d’orthopedie (Manouba)

Kasserine

2 syringe pumps (used in gastrological department

1 emergency trolley (used in anaesthesia department)

1 emergency trolley (used in emergency department) H.Circ Tebourba

Regional Hospital of Kasserine

7 resuscitation respirators and 6 intensive care beds (used in the anaesthesiologist department)

8 syringe pumps (6 in the emergency department and 2 in the endocrinology department)

Gafsa

Sfax

HC Moulares Gafsa

H.R Bir Ali Ben Khlifa

CHU H.Chaker Sfax

Sousse

H.R Msaken

Farhat Hached

CHU Sahloul Sousse

Kebili

Regional Hospital of Kebli

2 emergency trolleys (used in the maternity department)

4 surveillance monitors (2 used in nephrology department and 2 used in the maternity department)

2 emergency trolleys (used in the emergency and infant surgery department)

2 surveillance monitors (used in resuscitation department)

1 emergency trolley (used in medical department)

5 syringe pumps (used in the cardiology department)

2 surveillance monitors and 2 intensive care beds (used in the emergency department)

1 emergency trolley (used in operation recovery room)

Budget Overview

A budget of $309,249 CAD was spent to cover the costs of this project. This budget allowed for the equipment procurement, transportation and logistics, monitoring and evaluation, and project activities to be implemented with quality and dignity for all stakeholders.

Together with the generous donations of the Tunisian community, Islamic Relief Canada funded the remaining amount of the full budget to ensure life saving support for the people of Tunisia, and a successful implementation of the project.

Long-Term Sustainability

To ensure project sustainability, the ownership of the equipment has been handed over to the Ministry of Health, who will ensure their maintenance. All regional focal points in the hospitals were introduced to the equipment supplier, who as per their contract with Islamic Relief Tunisia, will provide maintenance training on some of the equipment during a specified period after the project implementation.

As mentioned above, the provision of ICU machines and equipment instead of personal protective equipment or PCR tests as originally intended, was to ensure the sustainability of this intervention. The distributed medical equipment was used during the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to be used after.

Thank You!

Jazakum Allahu Khairan for your continued support and kindness for the world’s most vulnerable. Your support has made an immense difference for these communities in Tunisia. We could not have done it without you, thank you.

“Whoever relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve his hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever helps ease one in difficulty, Allah will make it easy for him in this world and in the Hereafter...”

– Prophet Muhammad ﷺ