6 June 2016
(MAP Board Member, Andrew Karney) I have been regular visitor to the West Bank and Ramallah over many years; but when I left Jerusalem early on a Monday morning for Ramallah, I was puzzled. We were not heading for the usual checkpoint at Qalandiya or even the other regular checkpoint at Hizma but seemingly heading down the main highway towards Tel Aviv. I asked the driver where we were going and he told me that he had looked at the Facebook page that gives the status of the checkpoints near Jerusalem and that there were major delays getting to Ramallah so we were going a much longer but hopefully quicker route via Modi’in checkpoint.
Eventually we arrived and after a visit to the MAP office in Ramallah, where I caught up with our ever enthusiastic staff, we set off to see the Primary Trauma Care training in Huwara near Nablus. MAP has been supporting this facility for over six years and has provided the necessary mannequins and other equipment. The charming lady who runs this facility was fulsome in her praise of MAP and how we had helped to establish this vital part of training for nurses and paramedics who are brought together from various parts of the West Bank. The course takes three days and the participants are taught how to treat a severely injured person as quickly as possible after an accident or other injury. Knowing how to do this properly and resuscitate the patient can make the difference between life and death, especially in an environment where it may take a while to get the patient to hospital. I watched about eight young students being shown how to insert tubes into someone’s throat (using mannequins) by a wonderful instructor who demonstrated this then let the students do it themselves. His energy, enthusiasm and humour was great to see and had the full attention of his students.
Next I visited the MAP supported burns unit at the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. The facility seems to be very well organised and run and there were a number of patients who had suffered burns waiting for their dressings to be changed. There was one young girl who had been at the unit for several weeks after an accident where a full pan of boiling water had accidentally been tipped down her front in the small village community where she lived. She had first been taken to the hospital at Jenin and then referred to the unit in Nablus, so it was several hours before she was in specialist treatment. She had just undergone major skin grafts but looked to be recovering well. The doctor who had treated her was a caring and highly competent person who was providing wonderful care. Her mother was with her and was fulsome in her praise of the way her daughter had been treated and the support from MAP. Hopefully she will make a full recovery with just some slight scarring.
Later in the week I went with the MAP supported mobile clinic to the remote Bedouin communities in the Jordan Valley. The doctor and two nurses provide basic health checks and treatment particularly to children and babies but also anyone else in need. They visit each place about once a month so that the health of these people can be accurately recorded. The visit of the clinic is warmly welcomed by those who rely on this vital service and know the team well. With Israel tightly restricting the development in Area C of the West Bank infrastructure in the communities is quite basic with no mains electricity or running water. Electricity, if there is any, comes from solar panels though these systems seem quite often to be broken and water from infrequent tanker deliveries. I met a young woman who was training to be a nurse at Nablus and who demonstrated the determination of these people to better themselves as far as is humanly possible in the circumstances.
Also during the week I attended the opening of the magnificent Palestinian Museum at Bir Zeit, which will promote Palestinian culture on the Arab and international scenes and help create a culture of dialogue and tolerance. The building sits at the top of a hill adjacent to the University and has terracing with trees, plants and shrubs from across Palestine. As most Palestinians in Gaza, the neighbouring countries or the wider diaspora are not able to visit the West Bank, the Museum will be the centre for satellite exhibitions across the Arab region and the wider world. At the opening by President Abbas, I met numerous Palestinians, and also some foreigners, who expressed their admiration for the work that MAP has been doing in Lebanon and the Occupied Palestinian Territories over more than 30 years. There is no doubt that MAP has a fine reputation in the region from all levels of society, which has been earned by high quality programmes driven by the real needs of the people.
Featured image: (MAP Board Member, Andrew Karney) I have been regular visitor to the West Bank and Ramallah over many years; but when I left Jerusalem early on a Monday morning for Ramallah, I was puzzled. We were not heading for the usual checkpoint at Qalandiya or even the other regular checkpoint at Hizma but seemingly heading down the main highway towards Tel Aviv. I asked the driver where we were going and he told me that he had looked at the Facebook page that gives the status of the checkpoints near Jerusalem and that there were major delays getting to Ramallah so we were going a much longer but hopefully quicker route via Modi’in checkpoint.