1st Palestinian Birth+Prenatal Ctrs, Jordan Valley

Hello Project Donors,

Thank you again for your support.   My colleague and mentor Sophia Omar and I are here in the West Bank to work through the details of this project so that it will move forward at last.  Although the Rotary grant combined with your GlobalGiving donations provides for equipment and training, so far we’ve not had a commitment for staffing.  Sophia and I are here to get the staffing allocation or develop a Plan B for private staffing.

On Sunday, Dr. Allam Jarar of the Palestinian Union of Medical Relief Societies (we asked his intervention when the Palestinian Government failed to respond to our requests by mail and phone) introduced us to Dr. Mahmoun, the Director of the Ministry of Health for the Tubas Governorate.  They took us to visit a new clinic and emergency room building constructed by the Japanese government in the village of Ein Al Beida, about 25 minutes north of Al Aqaba, also in Area C Jordan Valley.  We also visited the clinic in nearby Tayaseer in addition to visiting the clinic in Al Aqaba Village earlier in the week.

They propose citing our Birthing Center in the new Ein Al Beida Clinic instead of Al Aqaba Clinic and there are a number of good reasons for this:

• The Tayaseer Checkpoint can prevent residents of the northern Jordan Valley from reaching Al Aqaba's Clinic;
• Ein Al Beida is closer to the communities of the north including more than a thousand Bedouin families;
• There is already staffing 3 days per week;
• The Ministry of Health is making a commitment to expand staffing to 7 days per week and provide a midwife and nurse on site 24/7 for the birthing center.

Meanwhile, all agree that Al Aqaba Clinic will be a good place for prenatal appointments and are offering medical staffing there 2 days per week, but just 3 hours per day.  In addition, they are willing to contract with NGO’s to provide yoga and birthing classes, and various other Mother Child Education classes in Al Aqaba, rounding out the prenatal care program to 4-5 days per week.

Next step:  a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Health in Ramallah, hopefully this Thursday.  Overall impression: favorable.  My concern:  When I said we'll bring the training team in October, Dr. Mahmoun said this is too soon. Does the Ministry of Health have the budget needed to make their big commitment to staffing in Ein Al Beida's new clinic?   When will they actually open the new clinic and emergency health center?

We’re here in Palestine and Israel through Aug. 29^th, and we're determined to return home with a clear commitment for staffing, a clear schedule for opening both the Birthing Center in Ein Al Beida and the Prenatal Clinic in Al Aqaba, and a good sense of how we will get the equipment in.  I'll get back to you in two weeks with an update.

Sincerely,
Donna

P.S.  On Tuesday, we’re speaking at the Rotary Club of Nazareth, a sponsor of the Birthing Center. Sophia and I are invited to talk about our work in the West Bank and also Sophia’s remarkable hospital (now the largest in all Afghanistan!) in Kabul.  They would also like to have our two clubs develop a Rotary project “to benefit of our medical institutions here in Nazareth that give their services to about a quarter of a million people, Jews, Christians and Moslems that live in Nazareth and the surrounding cities and villages.”  We continue to draw upon their insight and expertise!