Rotary Club Of Red Sea - El Gouna Medical Convoy

The fourth medical convoy organised by the Rotary Club of Red Sea – El Gouna was held on Friday 23rd February 2018 under the auspices of the Red Sea Governor General Ahmed Abdullah. Over 300 patients from the Bedouin communities of the Eastern Desert were examined by volunteer doctors from thirteen specialty areas of medicine.

The one-day medical convoy targets patients with the kind help of Sheikh Maari and Sheikh Salama spreading the word to 1500 Bedouin families that live in a 100 square-kilometer radius.

51 Student nurses from Gouna Technical Nursing Institute (GTNI) and Clinical Nursing Instructors set up health assessment stations to record patient’s details and medical history. They also carried out vital signs tests, blood pressure, height and weight, body mass index calculations, and provided health education to the patients as they waited to visit the doctors. 

1 in 7 Bedouin children are born with hearing impairment and deafness, so Rotarians invited Audiologist Dr Mostafa Youssif, a consultant and lecturer of Audiology at Sohag University Hospital, to test the deaf Bedouin patients. Assistant Dr Astrid Appel said, “We checked out some physical possibilities today.... and took some decisions that will change the future destiny of young lives.... We can sleep with a calm mind and a happily dancing heart, at least three kids hopefully cross over from the world of the deaf to the world of the hearing.

Working with Mr Salah El Din Abd Alwahab from Safaga, ‘The Power of Hands’ project has been launched by Rotary Club of Red Sea – El Gouna to teach the standard Egyptian sign language to the deaf children and their family members. Trial lessons have already begun in Hurghada and will move to a desert camp once the results of the medical convoy are assessed.

Rotarians also organised their 18th blood donation campaign and 25 bags of blood were kindly donated to save lives. Interact Club of Red Sea – El Gouna members were also involved and assisted in the pharmacy, lunch box distribution, and at the patients’ reception desk. Rotary Club Poznań in Poland asked to join with the Bedouin Aid Project after several visits to El Gouna of past President Paweł Sobaszkiewicz who personally donated white Rotary baseball caps to the children at the medical convoy.

Rotary Club of Red Sea – El Gouna would like to thank all the sponsors who kindly helped with the costs of organising the 4th medical convoy. Rotarians around the world work under the motto ‘Service Above Self’. Organising a humanitarian aid project on this scale is not possible without all the wonderful support from the Red Sea community. For this we cannot thank you enough.

Contact: John Horis, Club President 2017-18

Tel. 0114 414 1540   Email: Johnhoris@yahoo.com