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12 December 2005.CARE has recently started implementing a new project, “Emergency Medical Assistance in the Jenin, Tubas, and Hebron Areas of the West Bank.” The European Union’s Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) will provide funding. The project will be run by a steering committee from CARE, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Palestine Medical Relief Society, Health Work Committees, and the Institute for Community and Public Health of Birzeit University in the West Bank. The project will support mobile clinics, provide medical supplies to clinics, rehabilitate village health rooms, train medical staff, conduct health awareness campaigns, and carry out a study on the rationale use of medicines. CARE’s partners in this project will operate mobile clinics to provide health services to populations in remote areas. Health services will include ante- and postnatal care, child health care, health education, health screening among infants, management of chronic diseases, and women's health care. Basic lab tests will be conducted in the field, because there are many villages that do not have access to lab services. The project will purchase and distribute pharmaceuticals, disposables, and medical equipment to partner organizations for use in stationary clinics, mobile clinics, and village health rooms. A significant part of this project is the rehabilitation and refurbishment of 60 health rooms in the villages. At present, there are many health rooms in rural areas with no basic furniture such as chairs, desks, or file cabinets. In some of the rooms, the walls will be painted, and ramps will be built to provide access to people with special needs. Moreover, CARE and the project partners have identified 11 stationed clinics that will receive medical help and medical staff training. Medical staff including physicians, nurses, community health workers, and lab technicians from the Ministry of Health, Health Work Committees, and the Palestine Medical Relief Society will attend training that will develop their skills and ability to cope with the increasing demands of local communities located in the remote areas. Health education campaigns will be conducted in the three target regions of Jenin, Tubas, and Hebron in the West Bank. The emphasis of the campaigns will be on child’s health, women’s health, and chronic diseases. Health education will include conducting health awareness activities for the communities in schools, women’s clubs, youth clubs, and community organizations. Reference material, such as brochures, flyers, posters, and pamphlets will be produced and distributed. Along with the Palestinian Ministry of Health and project partners, the Project will design and implement an assessment of the drug management cycle and rational drug use. The study will enable decision-makers, donors, and international organizations, to utilize the best practices possible in the management cycle of medicines and to support interventions and training in rational drug use. Ayman Shuaibi CARE West Bank and Gaza Ramallah Field Office shuaibi@carewbg.org |
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