A view of Najaf city
'A humanitarian duty'
Volunteer group in Najaf funds kidney transplants through local donations
NAJAF — A volunteer group known as “Humanitarian Cases” is helping kidney failure patients in Najaf receive life-saving treatment through community donations, having funded nearly 100 kidney transplants over the past several years.
The initiative, which includes more than 700 young volunteers, operates without government funding and relies on contributions from local merchants, vendors and residents.
“We created this group four years ago, focusing on kidney failure cases,” Ghanim Al-Kallabi, one of the founders, told 964media. “This month alone, we covered 13 cases.”
Al-Kallabi said the group raises funds between the first and twentieth of each month and selects patients based on financial need.
According to the Najaf Health Directorate, the governorate has 640 documented cases of kidney failure — 320 at Al-Sadr Hospital, 280 at Al-Hakim Hospital and 40 at the German Hospital.
Volunteer Saeed Al-Luhaibi described one recent case involving a family of seven, where three children died from kidney failure and two more are currently ill. “After visiting their home, I decided to cover the full cost of surgery myself,” he said. “What we are doing is a humanitarian duty, and we hope others will join us in saving lives.”
