Published: 4 June 2020
Last updated: 9 May 2025
AUSTRALIAN-FOUNDED not-for-profit Project Rozana has delivered 20 ventilators to the Palestinian Authority to help in the treatment of Covid-19 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“We were approached directly by the Palestinian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Riad Malki, with an urgent request for hospital-grade life-support invasive ventilators,” said Project Rozana founder and chair, Ron Finkel AM.
“He said that 20 are needed immediately and another 30 as soon as possible after that to prepare for the anticipated surge in COVID-19 infections.”
Currently, only 322 adult ventilators are available in Palestine for 4.9 million people, most of which are already in use, according to Project Rozana.
Mr Finkel said Project Rozana has secured 20 life support Astral 150 hospital grade invasive ventilators from the Sydney offices of one of the world’s leading respirator manufacturers, ResMed.
A fundraising campaign is underway to meet the costs of these units and the accessories and training required to operate them.
The 20 ventilators were sent by air freight to Israel were delivered on May 28 to the PA Foreign Ministry in Ramallah for distribution to the allocated hospitals.
Project Rozana will also fund critical and comprehensive online and onsite training for Palestinian ICU-based medical teams by specialists working at Rambam Hospital in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.
Established in Australia in 2013, and now an international initiative, Project Rozana is dedicated to building understanding between Israelis and Palestinians through health.
The initiative has been endorsed by the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel in coordination with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Australian Government played a key role in facilitating Project Rozana access to the needed ventilators, Project Rozana said in a statement.
READ PROJECT ROZANA MEDIA RELEASE
Photo: L-R Dr Raed Mansour, director Project Rozana, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Dr Riyad al Maliki and Australian Representative to the PA Mark Bailey at the handover
