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Monthly Report: Health Access - Barriers for patients in the occupied Palestinian territory, April 2019

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oPt
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WHO
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8,066 referrals issued to Gaza and West Bank patients to access health facilities outside the Palestinian MoH
2,489 Gaza patients  
5,577 West Bank patients  

58% of Gaza patient and companion permit applications to Israeli authorities for exit via Erez approved  
65% Gaza patients
52% Gaza patient companions  

81% of West Bank patient and companion permit applications to Israeli authorities approved over the first quarter of 2019

1 Gaza patients called for security interview, delayed

Part 1 Referrals

March Referrals by the Ministry of Health

In April, the Palestinian Ministry of Health approved 2,489 referrals for Gaza patients and 5,577 referrals for West Bank patients to non-Ministry of Health facilities. There were only 4 referrals for Gaza patients and 71 referrals for West Bank patients to Israeli hospitals, reflecting the Palestinian MoH’s decision in March to stop referrals to Israeli hospitals, apart from exceptional cases. For comparison, in 2017 there was an average of 346 referrals for Gaza patients and 1,010 referrals for West Bank patients to Israeli hospitals each month. In April, 72% of Gaza referrals required Israeli-issued permits to reach hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, while 7% required access through Rafah terminal to access healthcare in Egypt. In the West Bank, 38% of referrals were to facilities in East Jerusalem or Israel, the majority of which require Israeli-issued permits to access care. Chart 1 shows the number of referral documents issued to patients in Gaza from January 2018 to April 2019.