Third Saudi plane carrying COVID-19 aid arrives in Tunisia

The planes, flown by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, arrived in the Tunisian capital. (SPA)

• The plane, which landed in the capital, Tunis, was carrying medical supplies and protective equipment
• The Saudi medical aid had begun to make its way to public hospitals in various cities across the country

RIYADH: A third plane carrying medical supplies to help combat the spread of COVID-19 arrived in Tunisia on Thursday on an air bridge set up by Saudi Arabia.
The plane, which was flown by a team from the Saudi-based King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), was sent following directives from King Salman after a plea for aid from Tunisian President Kais Saied during a phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday.
Tunisia is struggling to contain the virus with its health system under pressure, and both Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and Parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi have contracted the disease in recent days.
The plane, which landed in the capital, Tunis, was carrying medical supplies and protective equipment.

A Saudi aircraft loaded with medical equipment and supplies arrived at Tunis-Carthage International Airport to help support efforts against the #Covid19 pandemic. #TnPR

— Tunisian Presidency - الرئاسة التونسية (@TnPresidency) July 15, 2021

Saudi ambassador to Tunisia Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al-Saqr, Tunisian Minister of Defense Brahim Bartagi, Minister of Health Dr. Fawzi Al-Mahdi, and the president’s chief of staff Nadia Akacha, received the plane on the tarmac.
Bartagi said that the Kingdom sent high-precision equipment and advanced technology, which would improve the capability of public hospitals to receive patients, adding that the Kingdom “generously offered to send a large number of medical and treatment devices, vaccines and other necessary materials.”
Nissaf Ben Alya, spokeswoman for the Tunisian health ministry, praised the assistance provided by the Kingdom to support Tunisia in this critical situation and to support the efforts of the Ministry of Health to confront the spread of the virus, adding that the Saudi leadership responded quickly and rapidly intervened with the ongoing health crisis in Tunisia.
She said that the Saudi medical aid had begun to make its way to public hospitals in various cities across the country.

This aid comes as an affirmation of the strong brotherly bonds between the leaderships of both countries.

— KSrelief (@KSRelief_EN) July 15, 2021