| | ArabMedicare.com News
United Nations (New York) | September 5, 2006
Pregnant women must get urgent access
to health care in occupied Palestinian Territory says, UNFPA
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(ArabMedicare.com News) UNFPA,
the United Nations Population Fund, an international development
agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to
enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity, expresses its deep
concern about recent reports of delays at Israeli checkpoints of
women in labour, which have resulted in forced roadside births, and
even death of some women and infants. It urges that civilians with
urgent needs should have access to health facilities and that
humanitarian organizations be allowed to work freely to alleviate
the suffering of the people, especially women and children.
More than 68 pregnant Palestinian women had to give birth at Israeli
checkpoints during the last six years, leading to 34 miscarriages
and the death of four women, according to the Palestinian Ministry
of Health.
A recent report by the Ministry shows that since the beginning of
the Al-Aqsa Intifada in September 2000, pregnant Palestinian women
in labour are often prevented by Israeli forces from reaching
hospitals to receive appropriate medical attention. As a result, 10
per cent of women who wished to give birth at medical centres have
had to spend two to four hours on the road before reaching a
hospital, while 6 per cent spent more than four hours. The normal
time, before the Intifada, was 15-30 minutes.
"These figures underline the need to put an end, once and for
all, to the agony of pregnant Palestinian women held at Israeli
checkpoints." said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of
UNFPA. "It is urgent to facilitate access by pregnant women to
life-saving services, as stipulated by international humanitarian
law."
According to the Ministry's report, there are currently 117,600
pregnant women in the Palestinian territory, including 17,640 who
suffer from difficult pregnancies due to the lack of prenatal and
postnatal care. Inadequate medical care during pregnancy, says the
report, is the third leading cause of death among Palestinian women
of childbearing age.
UNFPA has been helping pregnant women avoid suffering at the
checkpoints by training health personnel and equipping them with
delivery kits to provide services within their communities. It has
also formed local community support teams to assist health providers
and raise awareness of the availability of delivery services.
The latest Israeli military incursions into the Gaza Strip, which
started on 28 June, have compounded the suffering of the Palestinian
population in general, and women and young people in particular.
Damage to the Gaza infrastructure, including health, communication
and transport facilities, and power sources, has been extensive.
Facilities and services, including those of health, have not been
able to function properly, and the Strip's 1.4 million inhabitants
have been left without electricity.
UNFPA continues to work with its partners on providing the Gaza
population with essential emergency services and supplies. That
includes restoring health facilities, purchasing reproductive health
supplies and other essential drugs to support the Ministry of
Health, and providing psychological and clinical services to women
and their families.
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