Despite impressive strides forward in the past 20 years, “Third World patterns of health” are found in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including high infant mortality rates, nutritional problems, and deficiencies of sanitation and water, according to a study released here.
The 300-page study, released last week, further stated that while some segments of the Palestinian population suffer from diseases which are no longer prevalent in the industrialized world, other segments are subject to such “modern” illnesses as obesity, hypertension and heart disease “which are not adequately detected or treated.”
The study asserted that among the problems in the field of health services in the territories were a lack of coordination between several independent systems providing health care to the population, the failure of a single planning facility to manage the flow of resources, and budgetary constraints.
The study, “Health Status and Services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” was conducted by the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development at the City University of New York Graduate Center during a 12-month period ending last September. Described as “the first non-partisan study of health conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” it was sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development with a grant of $371,678, with counterpart funding from the Business Group for Middle East Peace and Development.
A team of researchers from the Institute along with health professionals from Columbia University gathered available information from published and unpublished sources, developed data based analyses, and completed field surveys in an attempt to draw a “balanced, independent picture of Palestinian health.”
WEST BANK, GAZA HEALTH SERVICES CONTRASTED
The study discovered that the West Bank districts with the best government and private health services are Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nablus, while the more rural peripheral districts are relatively poorly served. These peripheral districts are further disadvantaged due to poorer transportation to Jerusalem and its medical services, in addition to a lower rate of participation in the health insurance program, the report said.
Meanwhile, the study found that “health services in the Gaza Strip … are largely superior to the more prosperous and sophisticated West Bank.” Many residents here have access to services provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and others are covered by the Israeli health insurance plan.
While bringing to light facets of health services, the report also issued recommendations toward providing better opportunities for Palestinian health conditions. Among the recommendations is a call for support for human resource development, services, equipment and information gathering. “These,” the report said, “are important priorities.”
NEED TO REALIGN SPENDING PRIORITIES
Furthermore, “foreign assistance agencies should consider realigning their spending priorities to place a greater emphasis on primary health care,” the report recommended. “Palestinian health receives relatively little outside aid per capita compared to the situation in neighboring countries. A noticeable improvement in primary and preventive care would have a great impact on the lives of people” in the territories.
The report also recommended that “creative approaches to health development have to be implemented”; more open policies initiated by the government of Premier Shimon Peres toward private sector development should continue; and “outside funding efforts for health would be facilitated if there were a consensus within the Palestinian health community on goals.” According to the report, outside capital flowing into the West Bank supplements the reported $20 million per year Israel spends on Palestinian health.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
