Early Termination of West Bank Project Affects 120,000+ Clients and 100,000+ Health Workers

February 08, 2019IntraHealth International ’sPalestinian Health Capacity Project shut down its activities on January 31 —eight months before the project was scheduled to end—due to a request by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in response to the newAnti-Terrorism Clarification Act.This early termination will affect more than 120,000 clients who seek specialized medical care outside the West Bank and thousands of West Bank health workers who had been benefiting from the project ’s preservice and continuing education and digital health improvements.Since 2013, IntraHealth led this five-year, USAID-funded project that strengthened the West Bank ’s health system byreforming its patient medical referral system and better preparing its health workforce to meet the population ’s diverse needs. But in December, USAID asked IntraHealth and other USAID-supported NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza to end projects by January 31, due to the new antiterrorism act.The quality and availability of health care will suffer today for Palestinian patients.The project was on track to meet its objectives, but without its final eight months to transition its interventions to the local health sector, the sustainability of the program ’s results is at risk.“The years the project has invested in creating more self-reliant and stronger health systems, supported by the American people, are at risk of being wasted,” saysPape Gaye, president and CEO of IntraHealth. “The q...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: West Bank Palestinian Health Capacity Project Technology Policy & Advocacy Health Financing Health Workforce Systems Health in Conflict Source Type: news