Coronavirus: Iran expels Doctors Without Borders team, rejects aid
March 24, 2020, 9:48 am

Coronavirus: Iran expels Doctors Without Borders team, rejects aid

Cabinet members wearing face masks and gloves attend their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Office of the Iranian Presidency via AP)

Iran expelled a team of doctors from international humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) who came to the country to treat coronavirus patients and rejected their plan to set up a field hospital in one of the country’s worst-hit provinces. Doctors Without Borders team

France-based MSF said on Monday it sent a 50-bed inflatable hospital and an emergency team of nine people to the central province of Isfahan to increase hospital capacity for treating patients critically ill from coronavirus.

“Thanks to MSF, but … we currently do not have a need for hospital beds set up by foreign forces,” Alireza Vahabzadeh, an advisor to Iran’s health minister, tweeted on Monday.

MSF had planned to set up the treatment unit in the compound of Isfahan’s Amin hospital.

Iran’s rejection of MSF’s help may be linked to a recent speech by the country’s highest authority Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who said the Islamic Republic will reject any help from the US to combat coronavirus.

“ might bring a drug into the country that will make this virus stay for a long time,” Khamenei said on Sunday. Doctors Without Borders team

As of Monday, 1,812 in Iran have died from coronavirus, and there are 23,049 confirmed cases. levant

source: Yaghoub Fazeli levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”