We feel obliged to comment on the news item 1 and letters 2, 3 which
appeared in the February 9th Edition of the BMJ on disabilities sustained
by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the current
Intifada.
For O.J.Hartling to suggest that hospitals, clinics and ambulances
are deliberately targeted by the Israeli military 3 is blatantly untrue.
That he can make such a remark implies a complete ignorance of the level
of commitment to the health and wellbeing of the Palestinian people that
the Israeli authorities have demonstrated over the past 35 years. Between
1967 and 1994, the Israel Ministry of Defence and civil administration in
the West Bank and Gaza strip established a high quality primary medical
care system which included many clinics, rural and urban mother and child
care stations and an efficient immunization system. In addition to this,
the standard of existing hospitals was raised by the opening of new
departments and the purchase of additional advanced medical equipment 4.
As regards tertiary centres, in the Samaria region the Israeli civil
administration opened the Rafidia hospital in Nablus in 1976 for surgical
specialties including ophthalmology and vascular surgery. In the same
region the Nablus Watani hospital was established for medical specialty
services including cardiology, haematology, nephrology, and oncology.
Hospitals in Ramallah and Beit-Jalla worked together to provide a similar
range of services for the Judea region 4.
During this period Israel also provided the Palestinians with both in
-patient and out-patient services in Israeli hospitals in all areas of
medicine not fully represented in Palestinian hospitals. Furthermore,
although the Palestinian Authority assumed autonomy over its own health
services in 1994, the State of Israel has continued to provide this
support to the present day, despite the fact that the Palestinian
Authority is witholding payments for various services provided, amounting
to more than NIS 30 million ($6.5M) 4.
The figures quoted by Professor Halileh 2 are not in dispute. The sad
fact is, that since 1994 the Palestinian Authority has had ample
opportunity to improve the quality of its medical services with money
allocated by both Israel and the International Community for this purpose,
but chose instead, to divert hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked for
economic, social and medical development, to buy weapons to support a vast
network of terror.
Jochanan Stessman Associate Professor and Chairman
Anthony Goldberg Honorary Clinical Research Associate
Department of Geriatric Medicine,
Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School,
Jerusalem, Israel
1. Ferriman A. Palestinian territories face huge burden of
disability. BMJ 2002; 324: 320 (9 February)
2. Halileh SO. Need for medical services for Palestinians injured in
West Bank is urgent. BMJ 2002; 324: 361 (9 February)
3. Hartling OJ. Health consequences of Israeli settlements in
occupied lands. BMJ 2002; 324: 361 (9 February)
4. Israel Ministry of Health Report on the promotion and development
of health services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip 1967-1994. Jerusalem,
1994.
The authors have no competing interests.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
25 February 2002
Jochanan Stessman
Associate Professor and Chairman
Anthony Goldberg
Dept. of Geriatric Medicine, Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
Rapid Response:
Medical Services for Palestinians
Medical Services for Palestinians
Editor,
We feel obliged to comment on the news item 1 and letters 2, 3 which
appeared in the February 9th Edition of the BMJ on disabilities sustained
by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the current
Intifada.
For O.J.Hartling to suggest that hospitals, clinics and ambulances
are deliberately targeted by the Israeli military 3 is blatantly untrue.
That he can make such a remark implies a complete ignorance of the level
of commitment to the health and wellbeing of the Palestinian people that
the Israeli authorities have demonstrated over the past 35 years. Between
1967 and 1994, the Israel Ministry of Defence and civil administration in
the West Bank and Gaza strip established a high quality primary medical
care system which included many clinics, rural and urban mother and child
care stations and an efficient immunization system. In addition to this,
the standard of existing hospitals was raised by the opening of new
departments and the purchase of additional advanced medical equipment 4.
As regards tertiary centres, in the Samaria region the Israeli civil
administration opened the Rafidia hospital in Nablus in 1976 for surgical
specialties including ophthalmology and vascular surgery. In the same
region the Nablus Watani hospital was established for medical specialty
services including cardiology, haematology, nephrology, and oncology.
Hospitals in Ramallah and Beit-Jalla worked together to provide a similar
range of services for the Judea region 4.
During this period Israel also provided the Palestinians with both in
-patient and out-patient services in Israeli hospitals in all areas of
medicine not fully represented in Palestinian hospitals. Furthermore,
although the Palestinian Authority assumed autonomy over its own health
services in 1994, the State of Israel has continued to provide this
support to the present day, despite the fact that the Palestinian
Authority is witholding payments for various services provided, amounting
to more than NIS 30 million ($6.5M) 4.
The figures quoted by Professor Halileh 2 are not in dispute. The sad
fact is, that since 1994 the Palestinian Authority has had ample
opportunity to improve the quality of its medical services with money
allocated by both Israel and the International Community for this purpose,
but chose instead, to divert hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked for
economic, social and medical development, to buy weapons to support a vast
network of terror.
Jochanan Stessman
Associate Professor and Chairman
Anthony Goldberg
Honorary Clinical Research Associate
Department of Geriatric Medicine,
Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School,
Jerusalem, Israel
1. Ferriman A. Palestinian territories face huge burden of
disability. BMJ 2002; 324: 320 (9 February)
2. Halileh SO. Need for medical services for Palestinians injured in
West Bank is urgent. BMJ 2002; 324: 361 (9 February)
3. Hartling OJ. Health consequences of Israeli settlements in
occupied lands. BMJ 2002; 324: 361 (9 February)
4. Israel Ministry of Health Report on the promotion and development
of health services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip 1967-1994. Jerusalem,
1994.
The authors have no competing interests.
Competing interests: No competing interests