Report on the experiences of Palestinian healthcare professionals in times of war
The report “Out of Our Hands” documents how the Israel-Gaza War impacts the work of healthcare professionals and their patients at the Palestinian Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem.
“As a nurse, you are supposed to give hope to your patients even when they go through hard times. However, now I have lost hope myself. How can I still do my job?” These are the words of a healthcare professional at the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem, a project of the Lutheran World Federation. Along with five other Palestinian referral hospitals in the city, this institution provides healthcare to patients from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who need specialized treatments that are not available there.
In the summer of 2023, researchers of the University of Humanistic Studies initiated a project to document the experiences and moral distress of healthcare professionals at the Augusta Victoria Hospital, who are providing specialised healthcare in a context of protracted occupation. The already complex and precarious care work was deeply affected by the Israel-Gaza War. The report “Out of Our Hands” provides first insights on this impact by telling the stories of the healthcare professionals and the people they care for.
Precarious care
The staff members of the Augusta Victoria Hospital provide care to Palestinians who are often in very vulnerable positions, not only due to their diseases but also because they depend on restrictive Israeli permit policies for travelling to Jerusalem. Getting a permit, and getting it in time, cannot be taken for granted. Moreover, patients are only allowed to bring one or two companions to their appointments and treatment sessions and they too do not always get a permit. Thus, patients are often far away from many of their loved ones.
The hospital's financial stability is also precarious, as international donors may halt funding at any time, as happened in 2018 under the Trump Administration. Only in 2022 this support was resumed. Such decisions directly affect the daily care work of staff members. The hospital receives support from the local Palestinian community through volunteer work and fundraisers.
The effects of the Israel-Gaza War
The Israel-Gaza War has deeply impacted the care provision at the hospital. Patients from the Gaza Strip can no longer come to Jerusalem as Israel closed the border after the Hamas attacks, and Gazans who were in Jerusalem on 7 October 2023 cannot return. The hospital staff are extremely worried about their patients from Gaza and have tried to provide them with medication but have been unable to do so. They are also deeply concerned about the fate of their fellow healthcare workers in Gaza, especially their direct colleagues who were about to open a satellite clinic for cancer diagnosis in Gaza City. Meanwhile, the hospital employees support the Gazans who are stuck in Jerusalem as much as possible, providing accommodation and psychosocial support.
Increased settler violence and tighter control at checkpoints have made travelling from the West Bank to the hospital in East Jerusalem more dangerous. This situation not only impacted patients but also the majority of staff members who commute from their homes in the West Bank on a daily basis. The hospital organizes collective transport and tries to be as flexible as possible with work schedules to provide maximum safety. Collegial support has been crucial for coping with the situation.
Based on interviews with the staff members and senior management at Augusta Victoria Hospital, “Out of Our Hands” also offers recommendations for referral healthcare in similar situations and argues for ensuring the right to health for all, which in the Palestinian context is fundamentally intertwined with freedom of movement.
The research was funded through a XS Grant from NWO.
Download the report "Out of Our Hands"
The report “Out of Our Hands” documents how the Israel-Gaza War impacts the work of healthcare professionals and their patients at the Palestinian Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem.