Where We Work
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IntraHealth works with the Palestinian Ministry of Health to improve health and well-being in the West Bank by building capacity within the Ministry of Health and better preparing the West Bank’s health workforce to meet the needs of its population.
The stress of perpetual conflict in the region has led to increased smoking, unhealthful dietary habits, and limited physical activity within the local population. As a result, noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes are major causes of death in adults in the West Bank.
IntraHealth partners with the Palestinian Ministry of Health to address these issues, including by better controlling costly referrals of clients to specialists outside the country. Together, we:
- Build the Ministry of Health’s capacity to use data to inform health workforce planning and to establish systems to control referrals, including by educating clients on their rights and referral policies and by building relationships between the ministry and accredited service providers.
- Improve governance structures throughout the ministry to improve deployment, management, and retention of the health workforce.
- Establish resource centers that provide up-to-date health data, research, and information to help West Bank health workers better meet their clients’ specialized needs.
- Improve pre-service and in-service education for West Bank’s health workers.
- Develop and implement a mechanism for licensing and certifying health workers.
Selected Achievements
Reduced the total cost of referrals from West Bank health facilities to Israeli hospitals by 34% by partnering with the Palestinian Ministry of Health to revamp referral policies.
Developed a health referrals web-based application to provide a secure interface between the Ministry of Health in the West Bank and referral institutions.
Helped the Ministry of Health update referral protocols and polices based on best practices and a rapid assessment of health services capacity in the West Bank.
Established resource centers in three key hospitals in the West Bank and trained facilitators there in advanced search techniques, including HINARI, and in using Moodle to deliver online courses.
Palestinian Ministry of Health saved 427,000 NIS ($122,120) by independently implementing its health information system in Tubas Turkish Hospital. The system also results in savings in the pharmaceutical department due to improved medication tracking.
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