Health in the State of Palestine should be addressed by the healthcare system in the State of Palestine. There are problems arising from difficulty of access, water scarcity while burden of non-communicable diseases in Palestine is high; the problems are compounded in Gaza.[1]

Obesity

According to the World Health Organization, obesity affects 26.8% of the Palestinian population (23.3% males, 30.8% females). This is mostly due to decreased physical activity and greater than necessary food consumption, particularly with an increase in energy coming from fat. Two other factors are smoking and urbanization. In addition, "leisure-time physical activity is not a common concept in the Palestinian context, especially for rural women, where lack of sex-segregated facilities and cultural norms are prohibitive factors." Women in urban areas face similar cultural restrictions.

A study of Gazan mothers between the ages of 18 and 50, published in 2014, concluded the combined rate of obesity and overweight ranged between 57% and 67.5% depending on where they lived.[2]

Lack of clean water

Main article: Water supply and sanitation in the State of Palestine

Due to a lack of alternative sources of water, Palestinians in Gaza have resorted to overextraction from Gaza’s sole aquifer, resulting in the salinization of much of its water.[3][4] A 2009 assessment of a sample of 180 Gazan wells demonstrated that over 90 percent of them possessed chloride concentrations that were four times greater than the maximum amount suggested by the WHO.[5] Gaza’s water supply has further been contaminated by waste water containing nitrate and pesticides, owing to a deficiency in Gazan waste water treatment capacity. A UN Environment Programme assessment of a sampling of Gazan wells demonstrated that nitrate levels in the drinking water exceeded the maximum amount suggested by the WHO by sixfold. Gaza’s waste systems are unable to effectively purify sewerage due to a scarcity of fuel and construction materials engendered by the ongoing embargo. Given their limited options, Gazans resort to drinking water deemed hazardous by the WHO for its high concentrations of salt, nitrate and other pesticides. The PNA’s Water Authority approximates that 25% of illnesses in Gaza are either directly or indirectly caused by unclean water.[6]

In the West Bank, only 69% of the towns are reached by a water network. Of these, less than half enjoy a constant supply of water without disruption.[7] As in Gaza, waste water is a key pollutant in the West Bank as roughly 90% of Palestinian waste water there goes unprocessed, leaving much of the water supply contaminated. Human rights groups point to an aging water infrastructure and the inequitable division of water resources between Israeli settlers and Palestinians as the principal causes of water problems.[8] On average, each person in Gaza consumes 91 liters of water per day, which is lower than the 100 liter minimum the WHO regards as necessary to meet baseline health needs. Water consumption in the West Bank averages to only about 73 liters per day per capita, lower than in Gaza because illegal drilling is not as prevalent.

Mental health

The mental health of Palestinians have been described as among the worst in the world
The mental health of Palestinians has been described as among the worst in the world,[9] with over half of Palestinian adults meeting the diagnostic threshold for depression[10] and a significant portion of Palestinian children experiencing mental distress, particularly in Gaza.[11] This high prevalence of mental distress among the Palestinian population has been attributed to the intersection of a number of factors, including exposure to conflict, poor living conditions and restrictions on movement.[12]

Impact of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

Doctor with wounded child, Al-Shifa.

The healthcare system of Gaza faced several humanitarian crises as a result of the conflict. Due to Israel's siege, hospitals faced a lack of fuel and relied on backup generators for the first two weeks of the war.[13] By 23 October, Gaza hospitals began shutting down as they ran out of fuel, starting with the Indonesia Hospital.[14] When hospitals lost power completely, multiple premature babies in NICUs died.[15][16] Numerous medical staffers were killed by Israeli airstrikes, and ambulances, health institutions, medical headquarters, and multiple hospitals were destroyed.[17] The Medecins Sans Frontieres said scores of ambulances and medical facilities were damaged or destroyed.[18][19] By late-October, the Gaza Health Ministry stated the healthcare system had "totally collapsed".[20]

By 5 January 2024, the World Health Organization reported there had been 304 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza since 7 October, with 606 deaths.[21] On 24 January, WHO stated seven out of 24 hospitals remained partially operational in Northern Gaza, and seven out of 12 in Southern Gaza.[22] On 26 January, a senior OHCHR official stated, "I fear that many more civilians will die. The continued attacks on specially protected facilities, such as hospitals, will kill civilians".[23] The same day, a Doctors Without Borders coordinator stated, "There is no longer a healthcare system in Gaza."[24] A senior technical adviser with the International Rescue Committee stated, "There’s nothing that could have prepared me for the horrors that I saw."[25]

References

  1. ^ "Overview of Public Health in Palestine". Palestinian National Institute of Public Health. 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  2. ^ El Kishawi, R. R.; Soo, K. L.; Abed, Y. A.; Muda, W. A. (2014). "Obesity and overweight: Prevalence and associated socio demographic factors among mothers in three different areas in the Gaza Strip-Palestine: A cross-sectional study". BMC Obesity. 1: 7. doi:10.1186/2052-9538-1-7. PMC 4510884. PMID 26217499.
  3. ^ "Occupied Palestinian Territory" (PDF). AQUASTAT. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: Demand Dignity: Troubled waters – Palestinians denied fair access to water". Amnesty International. October 27, 2009. p. 14. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "23 August 2010: Water supplied in Gaza unfit for drinking; Israel prevents entry of materials needed to repair system".
  6. ^ Vidal, John (30 August 2012). "Water crisis will make Gaza strip 'unliveable'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-04. Retrieved 2015-12-22.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "EWASH - the Emergency, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (EWASH)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  9. ^ Hoyle, Charlie (12 May 2017). "Mental health in Palestine among world's worst". The New Arab.
  10. ^ "Mental Health in the West Bank and Gaza" (PDF). World Bank. 22 November 2022. p. 7.
  11. ^ "Trapped: The impact of 15 years of blockade on the mental health of Gaza's children". Save the Children. 15 June 2022.
  12. ^ Aghajanian, Alia; Finn, Arden; Mohammad, Nadir (14 June 2023). "The intersection of economic conditions, trauma and mental health in the West Bank and Gaza". World Bank Blogs.
  13. ^ Browne, Grace (24 October 2023). "'The whole health system is collapsing around us.' Doctors say Gaza is on the brink". Wired. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Gaza hospital generators to run out of fuel in 48 hours: Health Ministry". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  15. ^ "3 premature babies die at Al-Shifa Hospital: Doctor". ABC News. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  16. ^ Magdy, Samy; Shurafa, Wafaa; Kullab, Samya. "Dwindling fuel supplies for Gaza's hospital generators put premature babies in incubators at risk". ABC News. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  17. ^
  18. ^ "Gaza war inflicts catastrophic damage on infrastructure and economy". Reuters. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Gaza medics say Israel targeting ambulances, health facilities". Al Jazeera. 12 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Healthcare system in Gaza has 'totally collapsed'". The Peninsula Qatar. 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Nearly 600 attacks on healthcare in Gaza and West Bank since war began: WHO". UN News. United Nations. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  22. ^ "WHO and partners bring fuel to Al-Shifa, as remaining hospitals in Gaza face growing threats". World Health Organization. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  23. ^ Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle. "Deadly attacks on Gaza, cold weather making it 'uninhabitable' - U.N." Reuters. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  24. ^ "With Nasser hospital out of commission, people in southern Gaza run out of healthcare options". Doctors Without Borders. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  25. ^ Chotiner, Isaac (30 January 2024). "A Pediatrician's Two Weeks Inside a Hospital in Gaza". The New Yorker. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
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