Dr Naseem’s experience of the August escalation
13 November 2022 – Dr Naseem reached home after a long shift at the hospital, ready to rest and recharge. He had been looking forward to spending time with his children but found it hard to shake off his worries and disengage his mind. The air felt heavy. The news about growing tensions in Gaza Strip seemed impossible to escape. WhatsApp groups were relentlessly pinging. Neighbours, family members, and people on the street were all talking about the same thing. Memories of the 2021 escalation were still fresh in their minds.
Dr Naseem, who works as the Head of Emergency at the Al Aqsa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, hadn’t been at home for long before the news of the August escalation broke. His phone rang shortly after. He knew precisely why he was being called. Hurriedly sipping his tea, he got ready for what was going to be a very long day ahead.
Within an hour of the call, he was at the hospital supervising staff to prepare for receiving and treating casualties. “We knew from previous experience that the situation could deteriorate quickly. We needed to act fast and get ourselves organized. Delays in getting the injured immediate care could cost lives during emergencies. There is no margin for error,” says Dr Naseem.
Equipped with new understanding from the mass casualty management training delivered by WHO, he declared a state of heightened readiness. “I had to start making decisions as we waited for the management to arrive,” he recalls.
He immediately began working with key teams to reorganize the hospital entrances and exits to prevent crowding and ensure optimal patient flow. An emergency triage area was set up, family and press waiting areas were defined, non-emergency patients were discharged or moved to make space for critical cases, and 50 emergency medical kits were prepared to be deployed.
“We had developed the hospital emergency plan during our training and now we are putting it into action. Though we all did our best during previous emergencies, the ad hoc approach added to the chaos. This time was different. We were like a well-oiled machine, all units working together as one against a plan,” says Dr Naseem.
He is one of 90 clinical and non-clinical health workers trained on mass casualty management protocols since June 2021, using a curriculum developed by the WHO Academy. Thanks to support from the European Union Humanitarian Aid, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), the training has improved the emergency preparedness and response capacity of hospitals and health workers. It has also provided a systematic method to equip health workers with standardized skills, ensured that they speak the same technical language, and follow a clear hospital emergency plan.
In the future, this approach will allow the emergency deployment of Dr Naseem and many like him to any of the 7 main hospitals in Gaza to ensure adequate availability of health workers during crises.
“I’m used to difficult situations, but the calm I felt this time was something else. I think it comes from the feeling of being prepared and organized. It also allows introspection. We now have set standards that we need to hold ourselves to and benchmarks to evaluate our response against to ensure ongoing improvement – a first for us”, says Dr Naseem.
Emergency operation centre inaugurated in Gaza
Gaza, 8 November 2022 – Gaza’s first emergency operation centre (EOC), established by WHO under the leadership of the Gaza Ministry of Health, was inaugurated today. The inauguration was attended by Dr Yousef Abu-Al Rish, Gaza’s Deputy Minister of Health and Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, along with health experts from Gaza.
The EOC will provide an essential platform for strengthening multisectoral coordination and planning by experts and key stakeholders for public health emergencies, in line with the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR).
“The inauguration of the EOC is a huge step in enhancing Gaza’s preparedness and response capacity against public health risks and emergencies. It will substantially improve data-sharing and analysis to drive evidence-based decision-making and inform mitigation and response activities,” said Dr Abu-Al Rish.
>The COVID-19 pandemic, recurrent escalations in conflict and other health emergencies in Gaza underscore the need for continued investment in improving emergency preparedness and response capacities. The establishment of the EOC is part of WHO’s ongoing support to the Gaza Ministry of Health in building and expanding responsive and resilient public health systems and infrastructure.
“The newly established EOC is a clear example of WHO’s efforts to translate commitment into action. It will play a vital role in alleviating the pressure on the health system during future public health crises by ensuring effective planning, preparation and response, which in turn will save time, scarce resources and lives,” said Dr Peeperkorn.
WHO support for the establishment of the EOC amounts to US$ 380,000, thanks to contributions from Canada, Germany, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and Kuwait. It includes technical support and the provision of equipment and furniture.
Essential medical supplies delivered to Gaza Strip through WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies
2 November 2022 – In Gaza Strip, swift and timely funding from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies is helping WHO close critical gaps in needs and enhance emergency response by building up on previous efforts to bolster preparedness.
Recently, 2 sizable shipments of medicines and medical supplies were provided to the Ministry of Health to replenish the near-zero stocks of the Central Drug Store.
The supplies are a part of a series of ongoing deliveries managed by WHO through a $1.2 million funding allocated by the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies following the August 2022 escalation in Gaza Strip.
This support package is vital in relieving pressure on the health system, building its resilience to cope with future emergencies, and ensuring the continuity of health services for some of the Gaza Strip’s most vulnerable populations. More than 30 000 people will benefit from this funding support.
“This is yet another example that highlights the importance of the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies in strengthening WHO’s role in emergencies by providing rapid and flexible funding that allows us to adapt, respond and deliver quickly according to needs. It saves time, resources, and lives,” said Dr David Lai, Health Emergencies Team Lead in the WHO country office in occupied Palestinian territory.
The recent batch of supplies will be redistributed by the Ministry of Health for immediate utilization in 7n main hospitals and 3 primary health care centre emergency rooms.
WHO, with the Palestinian Ministry of Health and partners, conducts workshop on barriers to accessing noncommunicable disease services in the occupied Palestinian territory
Jerusalem, 21 October 2022 - WHO in the occupied Palestinian territory, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, conducted two workshops on 11 and 19 October on findings of an assessment of barriers to accessing noncommunicable disease (NCD) services during the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on the specific impact on rural and semi-rural communities in Area C of the West Bank and the Access-Restricted Area of the Gaza Strip. The workshops intended to validate the key barriers identified in the assessment and to prioritize recommendations for action.
“The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare health inequities and the disproportionate vulnerability of certain groups in our communities to the impacts of public health emergencies,” said Dr Shannon Barkley, Health Policy Advisor for WHO. “Differential access to health care for communities is a critical factor determining health inequities. Accurate assessment of intersecting barriers to access helps to understand and prioritize the actions that we can take to address health inequities more effectively, which are the unjust differences in health outcomes and the unfair distribution of health resources in our society.”
The assessment, conducted by Al Quds University, examines barriers related to availability of health care, different aspects of access (geographical, informational, financial, and organizational), the acceptability of health services and their effectiveness once a person with an NCD reaches the point of care delivery.
WHO’s Right to Health programme in the occupied Palestinian territory, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, aims to strengthen documentation and monitoring of barriers to the right to health and to advocate for improved respect, protection, and fulfilment of health rights. The assessment was organized as part of the Right to Health programme, with attendance at the workshops of more than 70 participants from health and human rights organizations working throughout the occupied Palestinian territory.
The final report of the assessment and associated recommendations for action will be launched in the coming months.