Ref: 24/2023

Date: 06 April 2023

On Wednesday, 05 April 2023, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) held a meeting with the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Gaza City, in the presence of a representative from the World Health Organization (WHO). The meeting came as part of PCHR’s follow-up and constant communication with decision makers aiming to improve health conditions in the Gaza Strip and curb violations of the right to health due to the lack of specialized medical personnel.

PCHR’s delegation, which included Dr. Fadel al-Muzaini, Head of PCHR’s Economic and Social Rights Unit, and Mr. Ayman Lubbad, a researcher, met with officials at the MOH’s departments. The meeting was attended by Eng. Bassam al-Hamadeen, Assistant Undersecretary at MOH; Dr. Muneer al-Bursh, Director General at the MOH; Dr. Marwan Abu Se’dah, Director of International Cooperation General Directorate; Dr. Ahmed Shatat, Director of the Institutional Planning and Performance Development Unit; Dr. Mahmoud Hammad, Director of the Administrative Affairs Department; Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmiyah, Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex; Dr. Sami Abu ‘Aziz, Director of Complaints Unit;  Dr. Ashraf al-Qidrah, Director of Public Relations Unit; and Dr. Mohammed Lafi, Advocacy Officer at WHO office in the Gaza Strip.

During the meeting, PCHR’s delegation affirmed that the lack of specialized medical personnel violates citizens’ health rights and raises the number of patients referred for treatment abroad, in addition to long waiting lists for surgeries. PCHR’s delegation demanded give priority for employing new health and technical cadres at governmental health facilities in the Gaza Strip, pay more attention to the development of practical training systems designated for the health personnel and conduct a periodic and objective performance and skill assessments in order to provide better health services for citizens. PCHR’s delegation also called for working on establishing an incentive scheme that attracts specialized medical personnel and decreases the immigration phenomenon of distinguished doctors and health personnel.

Meanwhile, the officials at the MOH’s departments reviewed plans aiming to deal with the shortage of medical and technical personnel at the Gaza Strip’s health facilities and MOH’s activities aiming at filling skills shortage among the specialized medical personnel by resorting to various alternatives to ensure continuous provision of medical services at that governmental health facilities. The MOH’s delegation also provided an overview of mechanisms for dealing with the long waiting lists of surgeries and ways possible for citizens to obtain their rights to various medical services.  Also, PCHR’s delegation was briefed on the MOH’s approach in dealing with citizens’ complaints related to medical errors in governmental hospitals.

This meeting falls under “Promoting, Improving, Respecting, and Protecting the Right to Health in the Gaza Strip “project funded by the Human Rights Program at the German Federal Foreign Office.