Amal Al-Sibai Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – The women's committee of the humanitarian project, Shifa, has invited Princess Hessa bin Turad Al-Shalaan, wife of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, as a guest of honor at their annual ceremony. Shifa will award her for her unwavering support and participation in helping the organization achieve its goal of providing quality healthcare and medical aid to families living in poverty in Makkah. The ceremony is held annually to celebrate the organization's accomplishments and to lay future plans to better serve the community. This year, the ceremony will take place on the third night of Ramadan at the Ismail Abudawood Hall at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The ceremony also aims to encourage prominent businesswomen and generous philanthropists to contribute to the organization's efforts. Drawing from the meaning of the Arabic word, “Shifa,” which means cure and healing, the main focus of Shifa's humanitarian work is to help treat chronically ill patients living under the poverty line who cannot afford costly medical expenses. Dr. Khalid Taib, chairman of Shifa, stated, “In the past 6 months, 495 chronically ill patients in the Makkah region received medical care in their own homes. Shifa devotes most of its work to those patients whose health condition is so adverse that it prevents them from leaving the home and going to the hospital to seek much needed medical treatment, such as the elderly, physically disabled, diabetics, heart failure patients, the morbidly obese, cancer patients, and those suffering from severe respiratory disorders, kidney failure, liver diseases, or paralysis.” In line with Shifa's mission to assist low-income families, the organization distributed prescription medications to 1,274 patients this year alone. Patients in the program also receive medical equipment, tools, and services necessary for their particular condition. Patients receive routine visits in their homes from an array of medical specialists to help them cope with the disease. Taib further said that 23 percent of the patients receiving the organization's medical assistance have no primary caregiver at the home. 65 percent of the chronically ill patients are unable to cope with their illness on their own. Both Saudi citizens and expatriates in need are eligible to apply for Shifa's health services. Currently, 75 percent of the patients registered with Shifa are Saudis.
