Stronger Health Systems Can Provide Palestinians with Better Health Care

September 18, 2017Improvements can help Palestinians access better health care today —and prepare for the unknowns of tomorrow.Outside the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah, I saw a woman emerge from the crowd. She looked frantic with worry and purpose as she approached.She needed the doctor who was accompanying me, or rather his signature on a referral form —a formality that stood between her and the specialized health care she, or perhaps a loved one, needed.I was there last month to visit ourPalestinian Health Capacity Project, which is doing crucial and challenging work to help the Palestinian Ministry of Health rationalize its patient referral system, improve continuing professional development for its health workforce, and strengthen its health information system.This woman was the perfect illustration of the purpose of our project. My colleague stopped to review and sign the form, and told me it happens all the time.It is not easy for Palestinians to access the health care they need.Primary care is available in the West Bank and Gaza, but quality is an issue. Clinicians deal with extraordinary caseloads and do not have systematic opportunities to routinely update their skills and knowledge. Underlying these problems is a severe shortage of health workers.I visited a beautiful, new, 10-bed pediatric ward at the Palestinian Medical Complex. Only two beds were functional. There weren ’t enough human resources to run the ward even close to its capacity.In fact,...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news