Posted on 07/29/2003 8:13:49 AM PDT by yonif
While violence continued on the ground despite the cease-fire declared by the Palestinian terror groups, Civil Administration officials in Judea and Samaria facilitated the flight of seven Palestinian children ages 5 to 10 to Italy for lifesaving medical treatment.
Six of the children suffer from thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder, and one has a heart defect. The four boys and three girls from Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron, were accompanied by 23 family members, some of whom will donate bone marrow to the children.
Civil Administration official Dalia Bassa, who is in charge of the health division unit responsible for coordinating the assistance, worked around the clock for two weeks in order to arrange the children's trip.
"I received their names two weeks ago from the Avineer Center in Ramallah and immediately began working to organize the travel plans. It took time to arrange all the necessary permits and documents," Bassa told The Jerusalem Post.
"The issue is an extremely important and sensitive humanitarian issue and I, together with my colleagues, worked furiously in order to organize their transport and passage from the West Bank to Ben-Gurion Airport," she added.
The European Union is funding the entire treatment, travel, and hospitalization costs, Bassa said. She maintains close contacts with the medical center in Ramallah and is also in constant touch with the families, assisting them with medication and the dispatching of ambulances to help the children when necessary.
At the beginning of August, several Palestinian children suffering from heart defects will also be sent overseas to receive treatment in Italy, Bassa said.
"If we don't help them, their chances of living are slim," she said.
The word "mean" has two mean-ings, which can confuse things :-)
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