Support MAP Emergency Response Programme
21 July 2011
You may remember that MAP told you a few weeks ago about the shortage of blood supplies in Gaza. This situation is still critical as Israeli military actions are on the rise, but today we want to alert you to what's happening in the West Bank.
Recent weeks have also seen an increase in violence from settlers in the West Bank, and at the same time Israeli forces are reacting fiercely to any form of protest by the Palestinian people. However, the things that concern me most right now are the arbitrary controls on movement and the divisive permit system, which leave many Palestinians in the West Bank without swift access to emergency treatment. Let's be clear: this means that injured Palestinians have to wait longer for emergency treatment.
This shocking fact is down to the rigidly-enforced movement controls that exist throughout the West Bank. While Israeli settlers are free to take the quickest route to hospital on Israeli-only roads, Palestinians in urgent need of treatment must travel on B roads and worse, negotiating numerous road blocks, detours and checkpoints.
Imagine trying to get to your nearest hospital with a seriously injured child in your car. They are screaming, bleeding, panicking - possibly dying. These early minutes are critical and yet your access to the quickest route may be denied. You may have to travel a congested and circuitous route and be held up at checkpoints by armed Israeli soldiers, who can block your way without even having to justify their actions.
This is the nightmare scenario facing all Palestinians who don't live close to a major hospital, people in rural areas, the southern Hebron district or along seam lines in the West Bank. And it's why MAP will take immediate steps to stop such unnecessary pain, suffering and loss of life.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has asked MAP to train front-line medical staff throughout the West Bank in emergency treatment. So as part of the MAP Emergency Response Programme, we hope to send a specialist team from the UK to train medical staff in the priority areas throughout the West Bank. They will then be able to treat (or at least stabilize) seriously injured people until they are able to reach the nearest hospital. Will you please consider sending £50 today to help fund this life-saving training?
Initially, our experienced team will train at least 30 senior health-care practitioners. They, in turn, will go on to train 200 other front-line staff in emergency treatment and the whole process will then be repeated. So with the help of generous gifts from supporters like you, we'll be investing in the emergency services capacity of the whole of the West Bank - and it will continue to grow exponentially year by year.
Our team will be lead by Dr John Beavis, who has spent years working in conflict zones across the world and who carried out the same training for MAP in Gaza.
MAP is still continuing to campaign vigorously for all movement restrictions to be lifted throughout the West Bank. In the meantime, around 2.5 million Palestinian men, women and children are being denied swift access to essential healthcare services because of a political travesty. Will you please help us to make sure that all Palestinians have access to life-saving emergency treatment now?
£25 could help pay for supplies and equipment to train front-line staff in resuscitation techniques.
£50 could train front-line medical staff to give emergency treatment in rural regions.
£75 could help us to train the 30 senior health-care practitioners who will form the core of our ongoing team.
MAP recently spoke to a doctor from a major hospital in the West Bank, who begged for our help. He told us that by the time many injured Palestinians reach him, it's too late … they are beyond help. MAP promised him that we would do my best and now we're asking you and all of our supporters to help us fulfill that promise. Please send whatever you can today to help fund the emergency treatment training that will save so many Palestinian lives.
Thank you.
