National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL

32The National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014SECTION 3: GAZA RAPID ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES AND NEEDS3.1.2 Health and Psychosocial Well-BeingPrior to the AssaultEven before the latest assault, health services in Gaza were strained by a rapidly increasing population, financial constraints, andscarcity of medical supplies. Medical equipment experienced frequent breakdowns caused by power interruptions and waterimpurities, among other factors. Most existing health facilities were in need of rehabilitation and upgrading in order to ensurequality services and meet the needs of a growing population.Impact of the AssaultOver half of Gaza’s hospitals and clinics are affected. Fifteen of 32 hospitals are damaged, with three of them closed. Fortyfiveof 97 primary health care clinics in Gaza are damaged (with four completely destroyed) and 17 are closed, along withtwo psychiatric clinics and the only rehabilitation center in Gaza. Twenty-five ambulances were destroyed or damaged. Healthworkers have also suffered seriously: 23 have died and 83 were injured during attacks on ambulances and hospitals.The current crisis has illuminated the dramaticeffects of the massive shortage in the availability ofmedical supplies and services. In the aftermath ofthe assault, health services will be in exponentiallygreater demand, resulting from the large number ofinjuries, increased public health risks, and massivepsychological trauma.Details of the losses suffered by private and NGO healthfacilities are not yet known (apart from the destructionof Al-Wafa Hospital, the only rehabilitation hospital inGaza, counted above), but high reconstruction andre-equipping costs are assumed.Given the high number of children injured and the relative youth of Gaza residents, the cumulative psychological and physicalimpact of this and previous assaults represents a serious and long-term responsibility for the health system. Newly injured patientswere released prematurely to relieve pressure on hospital services and will require follow-up and further treatment. Over 40,000pregnant women cannot access antenatal care, which puts their unborn children at risk. The UN estimates that 373,000 childrenwill need direct and specialized psychological counseling, while all students will require some form of psychological assistance.3.1.3 EducationPrior to the AssaultEducation in Gaza has long been characterized by overcrowding and unsafe conditions (approximately 37.3 students per class).The 2008 assault resulted in 217 schools and 60 kindergartens being damaged, including 18 facilities damaged beyond repair: theongoing blockade has prevented the urgently needed reconstruction of damaged schools and construction of new ones. Theannual increase of students in Gaza is nearly four percent (approximately 10,000 new students) and 79 percent of Governmentalschools and 88 percent of UNRWA schools operate on a double shift system. In 2012, the UN found that 200 additional schoolswere needed and another 190 schools would be needed by 2020.Impact of the AssaultThe Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) started the school year on September 14, three weeks later thanthe scheduled August 24. However, damage is widespread and severe in the primary and secondary education sector across