Lancet
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Gaza has been under land, sea, and aerial blockade for more than 13 years, during which time Israel has continued its permit regime to control access for Palestinian patients from Gaza to health facilities in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Israel, and Jordan. Specific groups, such as patients with cancer, have a high need for permits owing to a lack of services in Gaza. The approval rate for patient permits to exit Gaza dropped from 94% in 2012 to 54% in 2017. We aimed to assess the effect of access restrictions due to permit denials or delays on all-cause mortality for patients with cancer from Gaza who were referred for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or both. ⋯ WHO received funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
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Clinical audit plays a fundamental role in improving the quality of patient care and hence, is considered a cornerstone of clinical governance. This quality improvement tool is newly introduced in the health-care system of the Gaza Strip. Although the number of audits completed in Gaza has been increasing over the past few years, little evidence is available of subsequent quality improvements in practice. ⋯ None.
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Ongoing protests in Gaza have led to numerous injuries, including long-bone fractures. We investigated assessment of pain severity and strategies for pain management in the emergency department. As no local guidelines exist, delivered care was compared with the guidance of the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). ⋯ None.
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WHO defines an attack on health care as "any act of verbal or physical violence or obstruction or threat of violence that interferes with the availability, access and delivery of curative and/or preventive health services during emergencies." Gaza's Great March of Return (GMR) began on Mar 30, 2018, with 322 Palestinians killed and 33 141 injured by December, 2019, and first-response health-care teams exposed to high levels of violence. The aims of this study were threefold: to explore the vulnerabilities of health workers to attacks during the GMR; to understand the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of systems for monitoring health attacks; and to identify potential strategies and interventions to improve protection. ⋯ In 2017 and 2018, WHO's Right to Health Advocacy programme received funding from the Swiss Development Cooperation and the oPt Humanitarian Fund.
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Contraceptives have documented efficiency, but outcomes are highly dependent on women's understanding of how they should be used. We assessed the knowledge and attitudes of married Palestinian women about contraceptives and understanding of use of the available methods and side-effects. ⋯ None.