SHARJAH, 7th April, 2026 (WAM) -- As World Health Day is marked on 7 April, The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) presents a working model of humanitarian action that places access to healthcare at the centre of relief efforts. The urgency is clear.

According to the World Health Organisation and the World Bank, more than 4.5 billion people are underserved by essential health services, while nearly two billion face severe financial hardship due to out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

Given these challenges, practical and scalable interventions are urgently needed. With projections indicating a global shortfall of 10 million health workers by 2030, TBHF has adopted an approach that combines rapid response with long-term health system support.

Its programmes focus on broadening service reach, strengthening infrastructure, building local capacity, and forming partnerships aligned with national health priorities in beneficiary countries. The emphasis is on sustainable impact for the most vulnerable communities.

In fragile settings where crises strain limited healthcare systems, TBHF implements interventions that connect emergency relief with long-term sustainability.

Lebanon's capital saw the reconstruction and expansion of the emergency unit at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, delivered through the 'Salam Beirut' campaign for AED8.7 million. The restored facility now provides essential care to more than 40,000 patients annually, including dedicated paediatric services.

Across Jordan, the Big Heart Clinic in the Zaatari refugee camp delivers primary healthcare, nutrition services, mental health support, health education, and child growth monitoring to around 24,000 Syrian refugees.

In Gaza, TBHF has contributed to COVID-19 response efforts, including installing an oxygen generator and a solar energy system at a healthcare facility. The foundation continues to support Palestinian child amputees through the 'For Gaza' campaign, amid sustained demand for prosthetics and specialised rehabilitation services.

Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, the foundation has closely monitored the conditions of Rohingya refugees on the ground to mobilise greater healthcare provision for the most vulnerable groups. It helped deliver a 100-bed hospital in the Cox's Bazar district, in partnership with Medecins Sans Frontires (Doctors Without Borders), to serve approximately 140,000 refugees, a significant proportion of whom are children under the age of five.

The facility provides access to quality healthcare services, including 24-hour emergency care, intensive care units, pediatric and maternity wards, as well as laboratories and isolation units. It also contributes to monitoring communicable diseases, strengthening response capacities to epidemics and natural disasters, and supporting nutrition programmes and primary healthcare services, ultimately increasing the availability of sustainable, comprehensive healthcare within refugee camps.

Distance remains a critical barrier across many underserved regions. In partnership with the Aster Volunteers programme, The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) has developed a mobile medical clinic model designed to reach remote populations directly.

Since 2019, this initiative has been implemented across eight countries - Ethiopia, Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Nepal - benefiting 178,740 people through 1,937 medical camps.

Among these efforts is a solar-powered mobile clinic in Zanzibar, providing diagnostic services, primary care, health awareness, and teleconsultation to approximately 20,000 patients annually. Established as part of a long-term operational commitment of at least ten years, the initiative aims to reach a quarter of a million who lack reliable access to essential healthcare services.

TBHF's approach is guided by the principle that capacity building creates more lasting impact than short-term aid alone.

The foundation supported the establishment and equipping of the Big Heart Health Center in partnership with Save the Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project included full facility outfitting, the provision of essential medicines, and training for healthcare workers in the use and maintenance of equipment.

Capacity-building efforts also reached 60 health centres in four regions, improving service continuity and the quality of maternal and child healthcare. This is expected to benefit about 4,000 children and 2,600 pregnant women annually.

Aligning with national strategies through partnerships

A key feature of TBHF's model is alignment with national health strategies and collaboration with specialised medical institutions to ensure coordinated, long-term impact.

TBHF also contributed AED33 million towards the development of the National Cancer Institute's main facility in Cairo, alongside support for the rehabilitation of an MRI unit at Ahl Masr Hospital for burns and trauma care.

Internationally, the foundation has funded a virtual Cardio-Oncology Centre of Excellence at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, an initiative designed to advance medical knowledge and research dissemination, with a projected global reach of ten million beneficiaries.

On World Health Day, TBHF's work highlights that inclusive healthcare systems require more than commitment alone. It depends on systems, partnerships, and sustained investment. By delivering services where they are most needed, strengthening key institutions, and expanding health system capacity, the foundation advances a model focused on practical delivery and measurable impact. In a world with uneven access to healthcare, these approaches are essential.