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Occupied Palestinian territory completes round 1 of health-facility based polio campaign
Tamam Taha, a nurse at the Biddo UNRWA health facility, greets a mother at the campaign registration desk
24 May 2022 – Over 16-19 May, parents in the governorates of Bethlehem and Jerusalem were urged to take their children under 5 to health facilities for a supplementary dose of bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) with the aim of boosting their immunity against poliovirus in the face increased regional risk.
Unlike most polio campaigns in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the mechanism for the campaign in occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) was via health facilities, rather than house to house.
Round 1 tested the resolve of a community that is famously pro-vaccine (routine immunization coverage across oPt is typically between 98% and 100%), but like everywhere, parents are juggling work, childcare and other commitments.
In Biddo, an area of Jerusalem governorate where the main UNRWA clinic serves both local families and those from more remote regions, a steady stream of clinic visitors climbed out of mini-buses and taxis after lengthy journeys.
“Many Bedouins come to us from remote areas like Bani Samuel and Beit Iksa, although the transportation from their areas is very hard for 2 reasons. First, the roads are very difficult, and second, there are a lot of checkpoints that could keep you waiting for hours,” said nurse Tamam Taha.
In some cases, the hurdles parents faced to bring their children to health facilities were starkly visible.
Nidal Kandeel, father of 3-year-old Janette and 21-month-old Jolan, arrived at Biddo UNRWA health facility on crutches.
“I got an injury in my work a year ago, and I’m now disabled for the rest of my life. It was hard for me to come to the clinic using public transportation, but I know how important it is for my children to take the polio vaccine, and this is why I am here,” he said.
Following the campaign at health facilities, nursing teams will review registers of children vaccinated and cross-reference these with patient lists. Parents of children who weren’t vaccinated will be telephoned and efforts made to reach those children through in-clinic follow-up or outreach.
Round 2 is expected in mid to late June, with the aim of raising immunity levels in these 2 governorates.
Palestine has been polio-free for more than 25 years, thanks to a robust routine immunization programme and a strong culture of vaccine acceptance. But following the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) in sewage outflow coming from inside the green line with wastewater coming from Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the Palestinian Ministry of Health launched efforts to boost immunity in the areas deemed most at risk.
The campaign was carried out with support from WHO, UNICEF and UNRWA’s Palestine country offices.
WHO’s Palestine office provided technical support to the Ministry in planning and executing this campaign, drawing on the extensive expertise of our regional polio eradication programme.
WHO and The Big Heart Foundation Strengthen the Integration of Gender-based Violence Response into Primary Health Care across oPt
Ongoing conflict across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) continues to take a heavy toll on the mental and psychosocial health and well-being of a large majority of the population, making it one of the most significant public health challenges. COVID-19 has further exacerbated the situation and contributed to an increase in the incidence of gender-based violence (GBV), which has enhanced the vulnerability of women and girls.
“Lack of resources and specialised services means that mental health disorders and GBV can often go under-reported, under-treated, and under-supported in emergency and conflict contexts. This makes it crucial to ensure that health workers, who serve as the main point of contact at primary health care facilities, are given tools to identify, treat and support people experiencing mental issues and GBV,” said Anna Rita Ronzani, GBV Technical Officer and Trainer, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Health (MoH), WHO has been strengthening mental health services across oPt since 2010. As a part of the ongoing efforts, with funding from The Big Heart Foundation, this week two training of trainers were organized for 50 health workers and mental health professionals from Gaza and the West Bank. The training focused on supporting front line health workers, from MoH and UNRWA primary health clinics, understand how to integrate response to gender-based violence into mental health and primary health care services.
“Women’s mental health issues could often be a symptom of GBV they could be experiencing. But without the right training, non-specialist health workers could easily miss the signs. This training will help me screen my patients effectively and refer them to the right service so they could receive appropriate treatment and support and no longer suffer silently,” Dr. Muneera, Medical Officer, UNRWA clinic.
According to a 2013 WHO global multi-sectoral study on violence against women, females who experience GBV are twice as likely to develop mental health issues compared to those are not exposed to such situations. Given this, response to GBV forms an integral component of the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) Intervention Guide (2.0), which is being used to support the integration of mental health services into primary health care health facilities across oPt.
Plans to cascade and make the training accessible to more health workers are being developed by WHO oPt, in collaboration with MoH However, lack of funding remains a major obstacle in rapidly expanding mental health services and ensuring the availability of trained professionals. .
Gaza child dies following repeated permit delays by Israel
Fatma Al-Masri was a 19-month-old girl from Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. She died on 25 March 2022 after she was delayed access to lifesaving cardiac surgery for nearly three months. Fatma was born with a congenital heart condition known as an atrial septal defect. She needed curative surgery at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem and was required by Israel to obtain a permit to reach her hospital appointment. Her family applied three times for permits to reach hospital appointments on 28 December 2021, 13 February 2022, and 5 April 2022. She also received hospital appointments for 6 and 27 March, though at this stage no permit application was submitted by the Palestinian Health Liaison Office. Fatma’s father was told this was because there would not enough time for processing of the permit application.
Fatma’s hospital appointments and permit applications:
|
Appointments |
Permit application date |
Destination |
Israeli response |
|
28 December 2021 |
26 December 2021 (urgent) |
Makassed Hospital |
Under study |
|
13 February 2022 |
31 January 2022 |
Makassed Hospital |
Under study |
|
6 March 2022 |
No application |
Makassed Hospital |
N/A |
|
27 March 2022 |
No application |
Makassed Hospital |
N/A |
|
5 April 2022 |
22 March 2022 |
Makassed Hospital |
Under study (Response after Fatma’s death) |
Gaza child dies following repeated permit delays by Israel
EIB and WHO partner to strengthen primary healthcare and oncology services in Palestine as part of a global joint initiative
16 May 2022 - On Sunday, European Investment Bank (EIB) President Hoyer attended the opening ceremony of the new EIB Representation for the West Bank and Gaza. During the event, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory Dr. Richard Peeperkorn and EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti confirmed the successful ongoing implementation of the first two technical assistance assignments conducted under the global EIB-WHO partnership for health. The EIB is supporting the WHO to assist the Ministry of Health in assessing and reshaping the national primary healthcare and oncology services strategies. The support will lead to improved prioritisation and increased investment in health in Palestine.
“The EIB and the WHO are committed to strengthening health investments that improve public health in the West Bank and Gaza,” said EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti. “The EIB contribution will help the WHO and local authorities to better plan and unlock investments for the welfare of the Palestinian people, such as primary healthcare and oncology services. The two projects we confirm today are an example of the joint commitment to deliver on our global partnership for health, complementing each other’s strengths.”
“The EIB-supported joint Ministry of Health and WHO assessments are strategic and will help to update essential health packages and health financing strategy, improve governance of oncology services, and guide the much-needed increased investment in health in Palestine,” said Dr Peeperkorn.
Background information
On 1 May 2020, the European Investment Bank and the World Health Organization signed their first Memorandum of Understanding, outlining common focus areas including increased collaboration on primary healthcare and health system resilience. The occupied Palestinian territory is the first pilot area where cooperation has been initiated between the two organisations.
The EIB and the WHO, in close cooperation with the European Commission, work together under a global partnership aimed at mobilising investment to support countries in closing the health funding gap and building resilient health systems based on a solid foundation of primary healthcare, to help them reach their health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
The shared goals of the partnership are being achieved by applying a country-led and country-driven approach, identifying gaps in national health systems, designing strategies for interventions and their corresponding investment plans, investing in health system projects and programmes, convening capital providers, supporting implementation and monitoring impact.
Press contacts
EIB
Richard Willis
tel.: +352 4379 82155
Eva De Francesco
tel.: +352 4379 86637
Website: www.eib.org/press
Media Office: +352 4379 21000
WHO
Bisma Akbar
WHO occupied Palestinian territory Communications Officer
+972 54-717-8959
