The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Over two million Palestine refugees received medical consultation in 2022, says UNRWA
Despite the protracted challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, political instability and funding shortfalls, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has continued to deliver its essential work to provide health care services to Palestine refugees in 2022 across the Agency’s five fields of operation Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza and Syria, it said on Tuesday.
“Last year, we managed to provide medical consultations for eight million persons. Some people came more than once or twice but eight million consultations. That is really great which includes 300,000 people living with diabetes and hypertension or non-communicable diseases and also 90,000 pregnant mothers,” said Dr. Akihiro Seita, UNRWA’s Director of Health.
Out of the 5.9 million registered Palestine refugees, it is estimated that 3.2 million Palestinian refugees are registered at UNRWA Health Centers and receive health services free of charge. The number of consultations increased by 12.4 percent compared to 2021.
In 2022, UNRWA’s health programs successfully combated a resurgence of cholera in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, in addition to the Omicron strain of Covid-19.
Furthermore, UNRWA health centres in Gaza and the occupied West Bank provided vital health care amid hostilities.
“Last week, we had armed conflict in Gaza but still all 22 health centres stayed open and provided critical primary healthcare service and fifty percent of the staff continued to attend,” emphasized Dr. Seita.
Currently, it is estimated that 3.2 million or 53.9 per cent of Palestinian refugees still heavily rely on UNRWA services due to economic hardship, high unemployment rates, and worsening poverty levels, especially in conflict areas. Around one-third of registered Palestinian refugees reside in 58 official refugee camps, living side-by-side among host countries' communities.
UNRWA manages 240 health centers with more than 3,000 staff that provide a comprehensive range of primary health care.
“Gender-based violence is also on the rise. That is our main concern and worry”, said Dr. Seita. “At the same time, children are suffering not only mentally, but also physically. We started to provide mental health care for the children because they were realizing the importance of mental healthcare for the children.”
Mental health is another area of UNRWA’s health priorities. According to Dr. Seita, patients in Gaza have the highest detection rate at 26.4 per cent. In 2021, around 15,000 people needed psychosocial support. However, “in 2022, it has more than doubled – 35,000 people- so that the need for mental health continued to increase and there is no need to explain why”, said Dr. Seita. “If you see the news, how life is in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Syria and some parts of Jordan- life becomes more difficult.”
Over the span of seven decades of displacement, the number of Palestine refugees has increased from 750,000 in 1950 to 5.9 million in 2022. Throughout these years, UNRWA has been committed to providing quality health services to address the needs of Palestine refugees.
-ends-
STORY: Health Conditions of Palestine Refugees - UNRWA
TRT: 01’43”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
RELEASE DATE: 23 May 2023
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot: UN flag alley UN Geneva.
- Wide shot of podium, conference room, Palais des Nations, Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health: “Last year, we managed to provide medical consultations for 8 million persons. Some people came more than once or twice but 8 million consultations- that is really great which includes 300,000 people living with diabetes and hypertension or non-communicable diseases and also 90,000 pregnant mothers.”
- Medium shot: podium and speakers, with laptop in foreground
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health: “Last week, we had armed conflict in Gaza but still all 22 health centres stayed open and provided critical primary healthcare service and fifty percent of the staff continue to attend”
- Close up: camera
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) ) Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health: “Gender-based violence is also on the rise. That is our main concern and worry. At the same time, children are suffering not only mentally, but also physically. We started to provide mental health care for the children because they were realizing the importance of mental healthcare for the children.”
- Close up: technician, conference room
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) ) Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health: “In 2022, it has more than doubled – 35,000 people- so that the need for mental health continued to increase and there is no need to explain why. If you see the news, how life in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Syria and some parts of Jordan- life becomes more difficult.”
- Wide shot of technician, and podium with UN logo in background
- Close-up: speaker
- Close-up: attendees in the room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNECE
UNECE report: Forests of North America, Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gaza: One million receive food parcels as humanitarians race to ‘push back hunger’
Food is slowly returning to the shelves in Gaza amid “apocalyptic scenes” but supplies are still desperately inadequate, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued fresh calls for wider access and continued financial support.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WMO , ITU , WFP , WHO , UNHCR , IFRC
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the International Telecommunication Union, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the United Nations Children's Fund.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , OHCHR , UNDP , WFP , WHO
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Ukraine: Russian attacks on energy terrorize population as winter starts; could trigger major ‘crisis within crisis’
The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA
The humanitarian situation In Ukraine: winter response, the energy crisis and next steps
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
Navi Pillay Retires After Decades Defending Human Rights and Pursuing Justice
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).