Ref: 28/2022

Date: 9 March 2022

Time: 15:00 GMT

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights regrets the death of 15-year-old Loay Mohammed Rawhat al-Taweel, from Nusairat refugee camp, after he was denied his right to access medical treatment despite his ailing health caused by a brain tumor. PCHR asserts that the patient referral system for Gazan patients to receive treatment abroad is extremely flawed. It is responsible for aggravating the suffering of patients, and blatantly risks their lives. PCHR calls for a coordination committee with members from the Ministry of Health and hospitals that provide medical services to patients, in order to facilitate the process of receiving medical referrals and financial coverage in cases where patients are referred from one hospital to another; hence, eliminate the need for patients to return to the Gaza Strip and commence new procedures for permit, which would require weeks, causing their health to worsen.

Mr. Usama Rawhat al-Taweel (52), the child’s uncle and companion during his treatment travel, gave the following statement to PCHR:

“On 25 January 2022, I travelled with my nephew, Loay (15), who was a cancer patient, to Jerusalem after receiving a medical referral to al-Makassed hospital. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor 10 days after a biopsy was done; he required radiotherapy. As this treatment was unavailable at al-Makassed, I went to al-Mutalaa hospital as per the recommendation of al-Makassed to resume Loay’s treatment. Al-Mutalaa administration requested that I leave and return a week later with the final medical report. I was not told that the patient would require a renewed financial coverage. A week later, I returned to the hospital and checked him in, handed all his reports, lab results and CT scans; only to be told by the hospital that Loay did not have financial coverage. I was told to return to Gaza to acquire financial coverage to resume the patient’s treatment. We returned to Gaza on 2 March 2022, all the while, the child did not receive any treatment. We initiated a new request for medical referral “Form No. 1,” it was reviewed again by the medical committee and we waited for financial coverage. During that time, Loay’s health deteriorated and he was admitted into hospital in Gaza. On 7 March 2022, he received financial coverage to go for treatment at al-Mutalaa. Meanwhile, his health worsened gravely and he died on 8 March 2022. During the burial, we received a phone call from al-Mutalaa hospital informing us that he was scheduled for an appointment on 13 March 2022. We told him the child had died.”

Unfortunately, this is not the first case, as 16-year-old Salim al-Nawati, a leukemia patient, died on 9 January 2022, after several West Bank hospitals refused to admit him even though his health was rapidly deteriorating. Also, N.H (19), who has cancer in his right knee, was put through extreme hardship after he arrived at al-Makassed hospital on 12 January 2022 and was asked to return to the Gaza Strip to acquire a new medical referral to continue his treatment at al-Mutalaa hospital in Jerusalem.

In light of the above, PCHR:

• Asserts that the medical referral system for treatment abroad for the Gaza Strip is inherently inapt and needs a comprehensive review and modifications to ensure appropriate medical treatment is offered to the Gaza Strip’s patients.
• Sees that the treatment abroad system as is, which requires patients to leave the hospital where they receive treatment and go back to the Gaza Strip and commence a new application for a new referral, is life threatening, and doubles the suffering of patients. Particularly that a new application requires a series of bureaucratic steps, including acquiring a new referral from “Form No. 1,” which requires a new review from the medical committee, and requires patients to schedule new appointments at hospitals, and apply for a new permit from the Israeli authorities to allow them to exit the Gaza Strip. All of this takes weeks to be accomplished.
• Calls for a coordination committee with members from the Ministry of Health and hospitals that provide medical services to patients, in order to facilitate the process of receiving medical referrals and financial coverage in cases where patients are referred from one hospital to another; hence, eliminate the need for patients to return to the Gaza Strip and commence new procedures for permit, which would require weeks, causing their health to worsen.