Cancers, heart diseases, pathological pregnancies, childhood illnesses… Non-communicable diseases are becoming a real burden for Palestine subject to restrictions from Israel. “Budgetary constraints are taking a heavy toll on the Palestinian health system,” Stefan Emblad, the World Bank director for the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said in a statement Monday.
The restrictions, in particular “a system of lengthy and bureaucratic authorizations” make access to care difficult for Palestinians and affect the treatment of pathologies. “The situation is particularly critical in Gaza, where the health system is less developed and where patients have difficulty obtaining exit permits for medical purposes on time,” adds the World Bank in a report.
“The figures in the report show that the quasi-blockade of Gaza has an impact on mortality,” assures Stefan Emblad, explaining that some patients die before obtaining their authorization.
An economy at half mast
Overall, the entire Palestinian economy is operating “well below its potential” because of the restrictions imposed by Israel and the growing budgetary constraints affecting the Palestinian Territories. Per capita income is expected to stagnate due to population growth, the World Bank points out in a report.
The institution forecasts an increase in poverty in the Palestinian Territories, where one in four inhabitants lives below the poverty line. The Palestinian economy is suffering from the restrictions imposed by Israel on travel and trade in the occupied West Bank, the blockade of the Gaza Strip and the division between these two entities, notes this report.
Crossing the border for treatment
Thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip cross the border each year for treatment in Israel. In 2022, Israel has granted entry permits for more than 110,000 medical visits to residents of the occupied West Bank, where nearly three million Palestinians live, according to COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body overseeing civilian activities. in the Palestinian Territories.
More than 17,000 permits were issued the same year to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where 2.3 million people have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel since the Islamist movement Hamas came to power in 2007. which contributed to the difficulties in supplying medicines.
However, many Palestinians cannot access healthcare in Israel, either due to lack of exit authorization or because the Palestinian authorities refuse to pay for treatment. The World Bank urged Israel and the Palestinian authorities to better manage these cases and to relax the authorization process for patients and their companions.