Six first-aid centres to tackle the healthcare emergency in the Gaza Strip: that’s the joint project of Caritas in Jerusalem and CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, an agency of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, in collaboration with local medical organizations in Gaza. The violence of recent months combined with the dire living conditions of the population of the Strip have induced the promoting organizations to take further action to equip with first-aid centres six localities where health assistance is either precarious or non-existent. These have been identified by the Palestinian Ministry of Health: namely, Al-Bureij Camp, Maghazi Camp, Al-Mosaddar Area and Mughraqa (in the centre of the Gaza Strip), Beit Lahia (to the north) and the region of Al-Emoor (to the south). The centres will be open one day per week to provide medical treatment in the reported areas, where volunteer local doctors will help look after the patients. The project also provides for meetings to identify single emergencies. The towns, at which these interventions are aimed, youth centres and volunteer doctors have signed an accord with Caritas in Jerusalem, pledging their cooperation as long as the project continues.
