12 May 2008
Dr. Izzedin Yasin, Chief of the Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, enters his office in the Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital in Jerusalem, dressed in his surgery outfit and plastic hat, having stepped out of the surgery room. Dr. Yasin speaks with a British inflection about his patients’ harsh living conditions and the fact that most of them are economically disadvantaged The majority of the patients come from the West Bank and Gaza, referred from the UNRWA and Palestinian Ministry of Health systems, and need to have their fees waived. Of course these patients also have difficulties accessing care at Makassed at all since they require passes to enter Jerusalem. Obtaining passes can take time, particularly for people coming from Gaza. Palestinians resident in Jerusalem are covered under the separate Israeli health care system and insurance scheme.
Lately the number of diabetes patients, and those suffering from hardening of the arteries in their 30s and 40s has increased because of heavy smoking, and lack of medical care due to poverty and harsh economic conditions.
Makassed Hospital responds to the increasing inability of its patients to pay for life saving care with a diverse mix of assistance from wealthy states in the Arab Gulf, European countries including Norway, Denmark, France, and Belgium, and the United States. Six months ago, Makassed received 400 coronary stint units, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, under the USAID funded Emergency Medical Assistance Program (EMAP III) implemented by CARE.
Coronary stints are used in a procedure that opens clogged heart arteries and which costs about $ 2000. Makassed is conducting 350 – 400 stints procedures per year, out of which approximately 250 patients are receiving stints donated under the emergency medical assistance project implemented by CARE International.
The generous supply of stints has a very positive effect. According to Dr. Yasin, “Impact on my patients is great! Now I can use stints for patients who cannot afford it, and I am not diminishing the hospital’s small supply. It makes life easier!”
For More Information Please Contact Gassan Shakhshir,
EMAP III Acting Project Manager, CARE West Bank and Gaza
(shakhshir@carewbg.org)
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