EU provides nearly €24M to E. Jerusalem hospitals – EU press release/Non-UN document

The European Union provides nearly €24 million to East Jerusalem Hospitals
to maintain patient services for all Palestinians

European Union

Press release PR/17/2015

13/8/2015

The European Union and the Government of Denmark have joined forces to respond to the urgent needs of the East Jerusalem Hospitals. This latest contribution of €23.7 million, which is being channelled through the PEGASE(1) mechanism, will cover part of the debt owed to the hospital for patients referred by the Palestinian Authority for medical care in the course of 2014. Funds come from the EU budget (€13 million) and the Government of Denmark (€10.7 million).

Since 2012, the EU and its Member States have released over €62 million to help relieve the financial burden facing the six hospitals of the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network. This amount has helped to cover the costs of referral of patients for treatment to East Jerusalem Hospitals by the Palestinian Ministry of Health for a period of over three years (2012-2014). Thanks to this support hospital facilities have remained open and medical staff have continued working to provide much-needed specialized healthcare services to patients across the West Bank and Gaza. The EU mobilized its cash transfer mechanism, PEGASE, to deliver these funds to the Palestinian Authority. The mechanism is open to all donors.

"The six East Jerusalem Hospitals serve as the main centre for specialized care within the Palestinian health system. Patients from the West Bank and Gaza are benefiting from the quality health services provided by these hospitals. Preserving their work is therefore essential," said the EU Representative, Mr. John Gatt-Rutter. "This latest contribution of almost €24 million comes in the context of on-going reforms designed to improve the fiscal situation of the hospitals. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage the hospitals to continue with their reform efforts in order to guarantee the delivery of quality medical services to Palestinians in the future. I would also like to thank Denmark for its generous contribution through the PEGASE mechanism, thereby demonstrating once again the fruitful cooperation between the EU and its Member States in supporting Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza."

Background:

Most of the European Union's assistance to the Palestinian Authority is channelled through PEGASE, the financial mechanism launched in 2008 to support the PA Reform and Development Plan (2008-2010) and the subsequent Palestinian national plans. As well as helping to meet a substantial proportion of its running costs, European funds support major reform and development programmes in key ministries, to help prepare the PA for statehood. Since February 2008, almost €1.9 billion have been disbursed through the PEGASE Direct Financial Support programmes. In addition, the EU has provided assistance to the Palestinian people through UNRWA and a wide range of cooperation projects.

The East Jerusalem Hospitals serve as the main centres for specialized care within the Palestinian health system. Patients needing services and procedures that are not available in the West Bank and Gaza – such as specialist oncology, renal care and cardiac surgeries – are referred for treatment in the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network facilities by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. There are six health institutions in East Jerusalem: Augusta Victoria Hospital, Makassed Hospital, St Joseph Hospital, St John's Eye Hospital, Palestinian Red Crescent Maternity Hospital and Princess Basma Rehabilitation Centre. The EU is supporting all of these six institutions through a programme with World Health Organization.

(1) Mécanisme Palestino-Européen de Gestion de l'Aide Socio-Economique (PEGASE)

For further details please contact:

The Office of the European Union Representative, West Bank and Gaza Strip, UNRWA Shadi Othman, Tel: +972 (0) 2 541 5867, Mob: +972 (0) 599 673 958 http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/westbank/