Health ,Gender and
Human Rights in the OPT
Juzoor for Health and Social
Development
December 2011
Salwa Najjab MD
OCCUPATION

60 years of
continuous
war

40 years of
Israeli
military
occupation
Occupied Palestinian Territory
(oPt)
West Bank, Gaza have
been under Israeli
occupation since
1967.
Territorial
fragmentation of
the West Bank and
complete isolation
of the Gaza Strip
and Jerusalem-since
2000
Gates to villages
Juzoor For Health & Social Development
‫جذور لإلنماء الصحي واالجتماعي‬
Checkpoint to Jerusalem
Birth and Death at Checkpoints
Since 2001,
UNFPA recorded
more than 70 cases
of women in labor
who were delayed
at checkpoints
which resulted in
unattended births,
causing maternal
and newborn
deaths
Land Confiscation
Over 100 Settlements-500,500 Settlers
Violation of international law
Daily violation of Human Rights and
Dignity
Challenges in Palestine
Factors impacting women's health
Gender
inequality
Limited
decision
making
Poverty
power
Political
conflict
Selected Health Indicators in
Palestine
Indicators (PCBS)
West Bank
Gaza
Palestine
Population (2011)
2,580,167
1,588,791
4,168,858
21 %
45.7%
65.8%
4.1
5.2
4.6
Life expectancy
-
-
M 70.5-F 73
Maternal Mortality
rate per 100,000
-
-
60 - 70
Proportion of children
below the age of 15
41%
48%
Refugee
28%
68%
Poverty
Total Fertility Rate
Early Marriage
1
Improving Maternal Health to
Achieve the Millennium
Development Goals in the Eastern
Mediterranean Region : A Youth
Lens.
One third of girls
marry before age
18
6% become mothers
TWICE as likely to die
while giving birth
Under 15 FIVE more
times likely to die
in childbirth1
Infant Mortality Rate
Infant mortality is
27.6/1000;
67% occur within
the early neonatal
period
.
(Palestinian Health Survey 2006).
UNFPA assessment after the war

40% increase in
miscarriage cases

50% increase in
neonatal deaths

Home births increased
from 5% to 35%

Increase in c/s from
15% to 32%

Increase in premature
delivery
Shifa hospital
Rapid Epidemiological Transition
 Burden
of NCDs greater on
women
 Early Pregnancy, Short Birth
Intervals; unmet needs for FP;
 Epidemic of Psychosocial
Disorders;
 Gender Based Violence
Morbidity among men and women
in their 50s
35
Prevalence (%)
30
25
20
Females
15
Males
10
5
0
Diabetes
Hypertension
Cardiac diseases
Women are particularly vulnerable to the improper
functioning of the following public services
Health
Education
Justice
Challenges of the Health
System
Fragmented and inconsistent
MoH, UNRWA, NGOs and Private
Sector
High migration of skilled
professionals
Biomedical approach to health
Women's Health services
in Palestine
Limited training
opportunities
Continuous lowering
of quality of care
Poor Skills of
health providers
No systematic
inquiry process
Inadequate
Health
System
Lack of evidence
based protocols
Affects Women’s Health status
Lack of supervision
Health Care Providers
Health Providers in the oPt
PCBC-2006
5566
6000
5000
4355
3590
4000
3000
2000
970
823
466
1000
63
0
0
GP
Specialists
Females
Midwives
Males
Nurses
Health Policy Environment
•Weak role of professional bodies and
regulatory frameworks.
•Incomplete and inadequate licensing
and accreditation systems.
•Weak policy making and
implementation.
Health Financing

Dependency on donor aid

Weak budget planning and fiscal
management systems

Lack of a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
Framework

Low percentage of PNA budget spent on
health
It is time to ask ourselves
What can we do to change?
-notWhat happened?
Juzoor for Health and
Social Development
Palestinian NGO
established in
1996 working at
the national level
towards
“A Healthier
Palestine, where
all Palestinians
achieve the
highest standard
of well-being”
Juzoor’s Approach
 Views
Health from a rights perspective .
 Adheres
to principles of Equity.
 Answers
the Continuous Health Education
needs
 Looks
at the emergency needs with a
developmental perspective
 Addresses
social determinants of health
Juzoor Strategic Areas:
Empowering Communities
Continuous Professional Development
Impacting Health and Social Policies
Empowering Communities…
Empowering
Marginalized
Groups
Enhancing Women &
Youth’s health
economic security
through social
protection.
Continuous Professional
Development
Facilitate
dialogue
among
different
health care
levels
Standardize
the skills of
health care
providers
Enhance the
interactions
between
health
service
provides
Improve
access to
High Quality
Care
Mental Health in PHC
ALSO cont.
OB Cases
West Bank
Gaza
Workstations
Short Courses
ALSO
 NRP
 PALS
 BLS
 ACLS
 Infection
Prevention and
Control
 Normal Childbirth

Impacting Health and Social
Policy
Contribute to the national
level policy dialogue
Building
Palestinian
Middle East
alliances with
Health Policy
Health Policy
policy making
Forum
Forum
organizations
Safety in women's health
care
HEALTH
ETHICS
WOMENS’
HEALTH
RIGHTS
SAFETY
POLICIES AND
MEASURES
Thank You