Jerusalem, 21 October 2022 - WHO in the occupied Palestinian territory, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, conducted two workshops on 11 and 19 October on findings of an assessment of barriers to accessing noncommunicable disease (NCD) services during the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on the specific impact on rural and semi-rural communities in Area C of the West Bank and the Access-Restricted Area of the Gaza Strip. The workshops intended to validate the key barriers identified in the assessment and to prioritize recommendations for action.

“The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare health inequities and the disproportionate vulnerability of certain groups in our communities to the impacts of public health emergencies,” said Dr Shannon Barkley, Health Policy Advisor for WHO. “Differential access to health care for communities is a critical factor determining health inequities. Accurate assessment of intersecting barriers to access helps to understand and prioritize the actions that we can take to address health inequities more effectively, which are the unjust differences in health outcomes and the unfair distribution of health resources in our society.”

The assessment, conducted by Al Quds University, examines barriers related to availability of health care, different aspects of access (geographical, informational, financial, and organizational), the acceptability of health services and their effectiveness once a person with an NCD reaches the point of care delivery.

WHO’s Right to Health programme in the occupied Palestinian territory, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, aims to strengthen documentation and monitoring of barriers to the right to health and to advocate for improved respect, protection, and fulfilment of health rights. The assessment was organized as part of the Right to Health programme, with attendance at the workshops of more than 70 participants from health and human rights organizations working throughout the occupied Palestinian territory.

The final report of the assessment and associated recommendations for action will be launched in the coming months.

Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, the country signed a US$ 25 million cooperation agreement in support of Al Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem. This came as part of the United Arab Emirates’ efforts to support the medical and health care sectors in the occupied Palestinian teritory in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and in coordination with the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO).

HE Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs, said that the signing of this agreement reflected the United Arab Emirates' consistent and historic commitment to the Palestinian people in meeting their humanitarian needs, especially in the health sector. The Assistant Minister highlighted the notable efforts of WHO and UNSCO in collaborating with the United Arab Emirates to strengthen the capacities of Palestinian hospitals in providing health care to the Palestinian people. At Al Makassed Hospital in particular, it is expected that more than 130,000 people will benefit from its health services.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that health is not a luxury, but a human right, and it is central to development,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We thank the United Arab Emirates for its generous donation, leading role and commitment to improving the delivery of quality health services for the Palestinian people.”

Lynn Hastings, United Nations Resident Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, thanked the Government of the United Arab Emirates for its timely and generous support, which she said will help ensure the continuity of essential health services by Al Makassed Hospital, which is an important part of the East Jerusalem Hospital Network.

“The United Arab Emirates’ contributions will be vital in sustaining the immediate and critical delivery of essential health care services at Al Makassed Hospital, including referral cases,” said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory. “It will also improve the quality of Al Makassed’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Department and assist in the training of medical specialists for all of Palestine.”

Dr Adnan Farhoud, Director-General of Al Makassed Hospital, thanked President H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the humanitarian gesture and underscored the degree to which such support will transform the hospital’s operations and services.

Amal, a 38-year-old woman from Gaza, was found to have a brain aneurysm (the potentially life-threatening ballooning of a blood vessel) in March 2022.

On 5 June 2022, Amal was referred to An-Najah University Hospital in Nablus, in the West Bank, for brain catheterization and scan (angiography), a procedure not available in the Gaza Strip. She made one permit application for an appointment on 16 June that was delayed. Amal was approved a permit to travel on 3 August but following closure of Erez (Beit Hanoun) checkpoint by Israeli authorities on 2 August she was unable to exit the Gaza Strip to receive care.

Talking about the outcome of her first application, Amal said, “I don’t know why I am prevented, I have been waiting so long! I need to have this test so the doctor can make a clear diagnosis and give me proper treatment. I suffer and worry every day.

”Amal received a further hospital appointment at An-Najah University Hospital for 1 September. She was eagerly awaiting a text message from the Palestinian Health Liaison Office, hoping for a positive response, when WHO spoke with her the day before her appointment. She received the text at 5pm that day and called to ask, “I’ve just received a text message from the Liaison Office. It says under study. What does it mean?” After her initial disappointment, she received another message later that evening saying that she had been approved and could travel the next day.

Amal finally travelled and received the scan she needed. Doctors advised the best course of action would be to manage her condition with medicines, which she now takes daily. “I finally had the tests and I feel so grateful that I won’t need brain surgery after all. The doctors at An-Najah reassured me and prescribed me some medicines. They recommended that I will need follow up to keep an eye on things,” Amal said.