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ACT's response Augusta Victoria Hospital is owned and operated by The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International. On March 17, on behalf of LWF, ACT issued an appeal for US$1.4 million to its members, requesting support for the running costs of the hospital’s services (medications, supplies, clinical staff and transportation) for six months. During this period the hospital will be seeking a sustainable solution or will consider a reduction in its services. ACT appeal for Augusta Victoria Hospital: MEPL61 - Emergency Assistance to Civilians
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The international community’s financial boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority will likely lead to a humanitarian crisis, said Dr. Tawfiq Nasser, CEO of Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem.
Speaking in a presentation in early April to staff of Lutheran World Relief, a U.S.-based member of the global alliance of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, Nasser said, “The Palestinian Authority operates many activities for the people – it’s very different from other governments in that it’s actually a deliverer of services. So refusing to pay money to the Palestinian Authority is creating a major humanitarian disaster, removing the biggest provider of healthcare to the Palestinian people.” Nearly 70 percent of Palestinians are insured by the government’s health insurance program, Nasser said.
Israel has begun withholding tax money that rightfully belongs to the Palestinian Authority, and several governments have cut off foreign aid to the Palestinian government because the new leadership is affiliated with Hamas, which they consider a terrorist organization.
As a provider of medical services to people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through a contract with the Palestinian Authority, the hospital is now facing a severe financial crisis due to the withholding of funds from the Palestinian Authority.
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| Mark Brown, LWF |
The hospital serves the local population regardless of race, gender, political or religious affiliation, ethnic origin or nationality. “Whatever the political position is regarding the government, the vulnerable should not be punished,” Nasser said. “This withholding of funds is punishing the victim. There should be a mechanism for making a political statement while still preventing humanitarian disaster. Can I tell a child, ‘I cannot dialyze your kidneys because Mom and Dad voted for the wrong political party?’”
(Information from an April 11 news release from ACT member Lutheran World Relief was used for the above.)
What factors have led to this crisis? For the same reasons, the United States and the European Union – two members of the so-called Quartet Powers, which also includes Russia and the United Nations – have also cut their aid to the PA. The PA is the main provider of civil services in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Directly or through non-governmental organizations, the PA operates the largest number of schools, hospitals, clinics and provides many other social and civil services. The tax revenue payments from Israel, amounting to $55 million per month, along with foreign aid, has been a vital source of Palestinian income and essential for the PA to sustain its budget. With the cutting off of foreign aid, the PA has a severe shortage of cash to fund its education and health services. The resulting crisis is felt across the OPT. Through a contract with the PA, Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem was providing approximately 1,700 medical procedures monthly for Palestinians, such as kidney dialysis, radiation, chemotherapy, endoscopy and head and neck treatments. The blockage of funds to the PA will further endanger the health of patients who are currently receiving treatment as they have few alternatives for medical care. (Information from a February 3 news release from ACT member Christian Aid was used for the above.) |
| ACT Appeal for Augusta Victoria Hospital |
MEPL61 - Emergency Assistance to Civilians - issued March 17. 2006
MEPL61 - Emergency Assistance to Civilians, Revision 1 - issued May 12, 2006
(addition of response by Middle East Council of Churches/Department of Service to Palestine Refugees [MECC/DSPR])
| ACT communications resources |
Photos
- Photos of Augusta Victoria Hospital activities taken by ACT photographer Paul Jeffrey
- General photos from the Occupied Palestinian Territories taken on a trip by Paul Jeffrey in 2003
ACT Datelines/features
- 'We are not alone': Sept. 17, 2003
- Churches fight for health rights: Sept. 17, 2003
- Christian accompaniers support transport of West bank patients to hospital: July 23, 2002
Interview with Tawfiq Nasser, CEO of Augusta Victoria Hospital, in which he discusses health access as a fundamental human right and describes how ACT funding has been critical in extending health services to all Palestinians living under Israeli occupation (first link on this page); interview is from 2003, but his comments still have relevance today.
| More news releases and feature articles on Augusta Victoria Hospital from ACT's founding members - The Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches |
World Council of Churches (WCC):
- WCC asks European Union to give new Palestinian authority more time: WCC news release, April 12
- The WCC and Palestine/Israel
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF):
Visit Lutheran World Information on the Web (the news service of ACT member LWF). A search for "Augusta" on that page will bring up all related LWF news releases, features and statements that LWI has released.
| Links related to the appeal |
The Lutheran World Federation Department for World Service Jerusalem program
The Lutheran World Federation Department for World Service (Geneva office)
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