Our concerns
Vulnerable people groups
Mental health patients, their families, healthcare workers and first responders in the West Bank are particularly vulnerable to the anxiety surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE IN PALESTINE AND GAZA
Our response
Supporting health authorities
MSF is supporting a Palestinian Red Crescent Society hospital in Nablus with skilled human resources and medical and logistical supplies. In Hebron, Dura, we are supporting infection prevention control, triage, intensive care and the provision of water and sanitation services.
Mental health support
MSF is operating a hotline offering remote counselling services in the West Bank, supporting mental health patients, their families, medical staff and other first responders affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Equipping healthcare staff
We have provided infection prevention control and PPE advice and training in Gaza, and have donated essential drugs, equipment, consumables and PPE to healthcare facilities in the region, as well as sanitation and first-aid training in Hebron.
Community education
To reduce COVID-19 misinformation, we are running a Facebook campaign sharing COVID-19 health messages across Gaza. This campaign has reached nearly a million people.
Exposed to both direct and indirect trauma, violence, raids on their homes, and arrests of family members, the ongoing occupation of Palestine by Israel continues to have a serious impact on the physical and psychological health of the Palestinian people.
The 10-year blockade imposed by Israel, and the fighting between the various Palestinian authorities, have contributed to the deterioration in the general socio-economic situation in Gaza.
More than half of the population is unemployed, electricity is restricted to a few hours per day, there is a lack of clean drinking water. People’s movements in and out of the Strip are extremely limited, preventing them from seeking specialised healthcare.
Shaukat Ali, 19, was shot in his right leg at a protest. It was his third time participating in the demonstration. He went through several treatments including debridement, but as his injury was too severe, amputation was the last resort. He will continue to receive medical supervision and physiotherapy at the MSF clinic. © Cho / MSF
Our staff work in three clinics in Gaza, providing specialist care for burns and trauma patients, such as dressings, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. We run mental health programs in Hebron, Nablus, Qalqilya, Bethlehem and Ramallah governorates offering psychological and social support to victims of political violence.
Despite the technical experience of our nurses and physiotherapists, their work is complicated by the limited access to essential medications (such as painkillers).
Complex cases that cannot be handled in Gaza are referred to MSF’s reconstructive surgery hospital in Jordan. However, due to administrative restrictions, less than half of referred cases receive permission from Israeli authorities to leave Gaza for treatment.
Find out more about PALESTINE
Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in Afghanistan since 1980, providing emergency surgical care, responding to conflict and natural disasters, and treating people cut off from healthcare.
MSF worked in Angola from 1983 until 2007. Why were we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Social violence/Healthcare exclusion
MSF worked in Argentina from 2001 until 2003. Why were we there? Providing essential medicines and supplies
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion Natural disaster
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Healthcare exclusion Natural disaster
MSF worked in Ecuador until 2007. Why were we there? Endemic/Epidemic disease Natural disaster
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/heathcare exclusion
Haiti’s healthcare system remains precarious in the wake of natural disasters and ongoing political and economic crises. Ongoing disasters have led to Haiti becoming the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Why are we there? Armed conflict Social violence Healthcare exclusion Endemic/epidemic disease
An MSF team in Hong Kong opened a project at the end of January focusing on health education for vulnerable people. Community engagement is a crucial activity of any outbreak response and in Hong Kong, this focuses on groups who are less likely to have access to important medical information, such as the socio-economically disadvantaged. The team is also targeting those who are more vulnerable to developing severe disease if they are infected, such as the elderly.
MSF worked in Indonesia between 1995 and 2009 Why were we there? Natural disaster
Why are we there?
- Refugees and IDPs
- Armed conflict
Latest links
MSF ended its operations in Liberia in 2012. Why were we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there?
- Armed conflict
- Access to healthcare
Latest links
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Providing comprehensive emergency healthcare to people in remote regions of Pakistan is a priority, yet accessibility and security are a constraint for both Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and patients.
MSF worked in Rwanda from 1991 until 2007.
Why were we there? Conflict Healthcare exclusion Endemic/Epidemic disease
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence Healthcare exclusion
Related Stories
Stories From Patients & Staff
02 Jun 2023
Statements & Opinion
Statements & Opinion
18 Aug 2021