Media Release from Project Rozana
Australian NGO, Project Rozana has launched a pilot project in the West Bank to provide much needed health services to over 145,000 women who currently have limited access to health care.
Project Rozana’s Women4Women initiative partners with the largest hospital in Israel, Sheba Medical Centre – ranked as one of the 10 best hospitals in the world – to train local Palestinian health workers and provide ongoing diagnostic and service support.
The project will operate in Area C, which constitutes over 60% of the West Bank and is home to 3.3 million Palestinians. The World Health Organization and other regional healthcare stakeholders have identified 145,000 women and children from rural communities in the area as at risk due to limited or no access to primary healthcare. Inadequate infrastructure, transportation complexities, and financial and cultural barriers create obstacles to accessible healthcare and the pandemic has amplified these by forcing a scaling-down of services by major providers.
A holistic team of healthcare professionals will provide services to address women’s physical, mental and social well being. Virtual clinics will provide services to women in the target communities of Khursa, Um Al-Kheir and Deir al-Asal al-Fuqua, screening for health issues and referring for medical treatment if necessary. The goal is to provide women with the care they need wherever they are located. Telehealth services will help to bridge political and cultural gaps and female health workers will help to mitigate cultural concerns about male doctors treating women.
The program launch coincides with President Biden’s visit to the region and his announcement of 100 million dollars in aid to Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem.
“President Biden’s support for Palestinian healthcare endorses our belief in the power of health as a pathway to peace building,” says Project Rozana chair, Ron Finkel AM. “Investing in Palestinian civil society and infrastructure helps to build capacity and resilience. In particular, this program will assist Palestinians to provide healthcare in remote communities that are currently vastly underserviced.”
Finkel added, “Our goal is to provide Palestinian women with the medical care they need, wherever they are located and to bridge geographic, political and cultural gaps in a shared vision of optimal health outcomes.”
Review the entire Women4Women project report, please visit: https://www.allmep.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/WOMEN4WOMEN.pdf
For more information on Project Rozana, please visit: https://projectrozana.org/
