Thuraya backs COVID-19 global humanitarian response plan

Among the major hi tech organisations putting their might to the wheel in the resistance against the spread of Covid 19 is Thuraya, the Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) subsidiary of the UAE-based global satellite company, Yahsat.
Seeing the launch of the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) as announced by the United Nations Secretary-General on March 25 as a perfect vehicle to create a global reponse to the crisis Thuraya will invest its expertise and apply the relevant lessons learned from the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak. In this fashion it will contribute tangibly to the global community's implement of the HRP and, hopefully, save thousands of lives during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It maybe recalled that Global HRP is a co-ordinated $2 billion humanitarian bulwark currently positioned to fight COVID-19 in 51 of the world's poorest countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.
Reacting to the opportunity to participate in this effort to alleviate the pandemic's fallout on the weaker sections of the world, Sulaiman Al Ali, Deputy CEO of Thuraya, said: "In over 20 years of operation, and as a signatory of UN Crisis Connectivity Charter, Thuraya has always stood by the international community during crises. We work closely with organizations such as International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) to provide first responders and health missions as well as offer a reliable satellite communications platform."
The company had a similar arrangement with ETC during the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak, when it supplied voice and broadband links for the World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NetHope and other NGOs in the severely affected areas of Sierra Leone.
Where it intends to make a special impact is in teleconferencing kits and connecting ambulances. The ambulance-to-hospital telemedicine system works over Thuraya's IP broadband terminals and satellite network, linking onboard wired and wireless medical devices to hospitals and diagnosing physicians. It transmits patients' vital signs data in real time, enabling remote diagnosis and primary care that could greatly improve survival chances and levels of future health for patients.
In essence, Thuraya will ensure service continuity, even when there is a sudden surge in demand from remote medical setups, healthcare institutions and NGOs.
- business@khaleejtimes.com