Middle East Monitor / July 29, 2021
Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kila announced on Tuesday that she had agreed with the Israeli Health Ministry on facilitating the movement of Palestinian patients from Gaza to the West Bank.
The agreement took place in the presence of Palestinian and Israeli health ministers, along with teams from both ministries.
According to Al Watan Voice, they also discussed several important issues, including Israel’s recognition of all COVID-19 vaccines imported by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the PRC statement issued by the PA.
On the movement of patients, they agreed to transport Gaza patients through the Erez Crossing from ambulance to ambulance without necessitating the patient to use a separate vehicle or walk 1,000 metres before taking an ambulance on the Israeli side.
Al-Kila confirmed that her ministry’s team presented several issues and clarifications, and the Israeli ministry responded that it would consider them.
She also added that the Israeli ministry agreed that the PA would start a vaccination program in primary schools in East Jerusalem, as well as agreeing to remove the obstacles for school vaccination and health programs.
During the meeting, they discussed the problems facing the health sector in Area C and the repeated Israeli aggression on Palestinian paramedics in the area.
Al-Kila highlighted the issue of the Israeli budget deductions that largely affect healthcare programs, pointing out that the deducted money outweighs the services that the PA Ministry of Health buys from Israeli hospitals.
