National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL...
National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL...
National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL...
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The <strong>National</strong> <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Recovery</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Reconstruction</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Gaza</strong> <strong>2014</strong><br />
SECTION 3: GAZA RAPID ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES AND NEEDS<br />
3.1.2 Health <strong>and</strong> Psychosocial Well-Being<br />
Prior to the Assault<br />
Even be<strong>for</strong>e the latest assault, health services in <strong>Gaza</strong> were strained by a rapidly increasing population, financial constraints, <strong>and</strong><br />
scarcity of medical supplies. Medical equipment experienced frequent breakdowns caused by power interruptions <strong>and</strong> water<br />
impurities, among other factors. Most existing health facilities were in need of rehabilitation <strong>and</strong> upgrading in order to ensure<br />
quality services <strong>and</strong> meet the needs of a growing population.<br />
Impact of the Assault<br />
Over half of <strong>Gaza</strong>’s hospitals <strong>and</strong> clinics are affected. Fifteen of 32 hospitals are damaged, with three of them closed. Fortyfive<br />
of 97 primary health care clinics in <strong>Gaza</strong> are damaged (with four completely destroyed) <strong>and</strong> 17 are closed, along with<br />
two psychiatric clinics <strong>and</strong> the only rehabilitation center in <strong>Gaza</strong>. Twenty-five ambulances were destroyed or damaged. Health<br />
workers have also suffered seriously: 23 have died <strong>and</strong> 83 were injured during attacks on ambulances <strong>and</strong> hospitals.<br />
The current crisis has illuminated the dramatic<br />
effects of the massive shortage in the availability of<br />
medical supplies <strong>and</strong> services. In the aftermath of<br />
the assault, health services will be in exponentially<br />
greater dem<strong>and</strong>, resulting from the large number of<br />
injuries, increased public health risks, <strong>and</strong> massive<br />
psychological trauma.<br />
Details of the losses suffered by private <strong>and</strong> NGO health<br />
facilities are not yet known (apart from the destruction<br />
of Al-Wafa Hospital, the only rehabilitation hospital in<br />
<strong>Gaza</strong>, counted above), but high reconstruction <strong>and</strong><br />
re-equipping costs are assumed.<br />
Given the high number of children injured <strong>and</strong> the relative youth of <strong>Gaza</strong> residents, the cumulative psychological <strong>and</strong> physical<br />
impact of this <strong>and</strong> previous assaults represents a serious <strong>and</strong> long-term responsibility <strong>for</strong> the health system. Newly injured patients<br />
were released prematurely to relieve pressure on hospital services <strong>and</strong> will require follow-up <strong>and</strong> further treatment. Over 40,000<br />
pregnant women cannot access antenatal care, which puts their unborn children at risk. The UN estimates that 373,000 children<br />
will need direct <strong>and</strong> specialized psychological counseling, while all students will require some <strong>for</strong>m of psychological assistance.<br />
3.1.3 Education<br />
Prior to the Assault<br />
Education in <strong>Gaza</strong> has long been characterized by overcrowding <strong>and</strong> unsafe conditions (approximately 37.3 students per class).<br />
The 2008 assault resulted in 217 schools <strong>and</strong> 60 kindergartens being damaged, including 18 facilities damaged beyond repair: the<br />
ongoing blockade has prevented the urgently needed reconstruction of damaged schools <strong>and</strong> construction of new ones. The<br />
annual increase of students in <strong>Gaza</strong> is nearly four percent (approximately 10,000 new students) <strong>and</strong> 79 percent of Governmental<br />
schools <strong>and</strong> 88 percent of UNRWA schools operate on a double shift system. In 2012, the UN found that 200 additional schools<br />
were needed <strong>and</strong> another 190 schools would be needed by 2020.<br />
Impact of the Assault<br />
The Ministry of Education <strong>and</strong> Higher Education (MOEHE) started the school year on September 14, three weeks later than<br />
the scheduled August 24. However, damage is widespread <strong>and</strong> severe in the primary <strong>and</strong> secondary education sector across