Any Hope with the new Palestinian Government ?

Last month was very important in the history of Palestinians. For the first time a government is formed from more than one single party. I cant know whether this is a sign of 'maturity' or a mere dictation of the Arab and international society.
The new Palestinian government, which includes in its representation more than 95 % of the Palestinian voters has so many local and international duties. Forming this unity government itself is the biggest achievement on the local Palestinian level. Internationally, this government is expected to behave like governments and be engaged in the international society.
This is such a historical moment where the decisions of this government, IF ANY, will represent , persumbly, the real Palestinian demands and hopes. The USA and EU will surely have no choice but to support this government.
There are precious moments for us ( Palestinians ) now to regain the international trust and regain our image as a " people " struggling for their freedom and independence.

I cant think of any better chances for us as Palestinians if we miss this very valuable chance. This might be the best time for us to DO many things. Israel is the weakest part here, no doubt.
We are all still waiting what will this government come up with. At the worst estimations this government is expected to do just NOTHING. If it succeeded in maintaining itself and forming certain positions that represent all Palestinians then this would be an achievement itself.
We , and everyone, is watching . Lets hope that the voices of reason from inside the government prevail.
....

The Palestinian Association of Critical Care Services

This is not only a new way of using blogs as websites for newly established associations in Palestine, but it is also a wonderful example of how people can find other ways to go on with their lives.
This site is an example, the Palestinian Association of Critical Care Services

Nablus : Documenting the Violations of the IHL in the Palestinian Occupied Territory

Following the Israeli Occupation to the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, Israel had been continuously objecting the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the Occupied Palestinian Territory( OPT ). The most comprehensive set of rules relating to occupation is found in the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. Actually Israel has been using the term 'disputed' and instead if 'occupied'. Still, Israel has allowed the International Red Cross to work freely in the OPT ever since then, referring to its mission as a purely humanitarian one.

What happened in Nablus last week is worthy of reporting. The IDF invaded and "occupied' the MOH building and the PRCS emergency post, to use it in its military operations in Nablus that day.

GAZA, July 19, 2006 (WAVE)- Ministry of Health (MOE) strongly condemned Wednesday the Israeli offensive on paramedic and its buildings in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank City of Nablus.In a statement, the MOE said that Israeli soldiers deliberately opened fire at ambulances and medical teams in al-Maghazi Refugee Camp and wounded one of the field team, whose leg was cut.

The Israeli Army surrounded the PRCS Branch in Nablus and kidnapped three bodies from PRCS ambulances.

The President of PRCS, Mr. Young Al-Khatib, confirmed that at 6:00 AM, on July 19th 2006, the Israeli forces occupied PRCS Branch premises in Nablus. The Israeli Army is delaying and restricting the movement of PRCS ambulances and staff. Three military jeeps and one mechanical shove are on the premises and the zone is being used as a shooting base.


This even has not been well covered in the international media, but the ISRC said that this act "shows grave disregard by the IDF for its obligation to respect and protect medical units. Since 19 July, the ICRC has repeatedly raised this issue with the Israeli authorities and called on the IDF to immediately leave the premises of the PRCS."

Israel's selective blindness, and total disregard to HIL in the OPT is a disgrace. The acts of delaying paramedic and stopping them on checkpoints for long times not only violates IHL but also puts civilian lives in danger.

Being aware of and living all these violations, can we have any hope for a better life in this immoral occupation ?

Experience of Palestinian and Israeli Nurses, Comments

During my past few years of experience in Hebron Hospitals /Palestine, dealing with victims of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict was almost a daily-basis mission. Medicine and politics never mix, that is a rule that I was always putting in front of my eyes during the outbreaks of violence and during the periods when we had to deal with tens of casualties, most of which were civilians, school children or just people who were passing by the street. Both Palestinians and Israelis were using their ' talents ' in USING the medical records, health statistics and number of casualties to show the world that they are the oppressed side (though the simple Palestinian capabilities cannot be compared to the well-established Israeli media organizations). During such periods of conflict it is very hard for the international community to recognize the true picture and that adds more to the complexity of the struggle.
While reading one of my favorite Nursing Journals (AJN) , I ran into an article by " Constancia Romilly, MS, APRN, BC " , which describes the experience of Palestinian and Israeli nurses. Romilly visited Palestine (she refers to the occupied West-Bank as Palestine and that's "Something" itself!) in 2002 and met Palestinian and Israeli nurses. She reported, in an objective way, the experiences of both. The Israeli nurse reports that: “It’s very hard to treat [victims of suicide bombings], she says, recalling one blast that killed a mother and three children. “They left only a wounded father and one of the kids. How do you rehabilitate this part of the family?” And on the other side the Palestinian nurse who reports that “During the curfew, nurses with children take the morning duty so they can go back to their children. The ones who don’t have children will stay the evening and night shifts.” Because getting to and from work puts health care professionals in danger, transportation to and from home is provided, whenever possible, in public health department ambulances.
Romilly also reported that the closures and the economic crisis have also had significant impacts on the health care system [of Palestinians], food security, and nutrition, according to the World Bank. She also talks about the "Security Fence" and, with a photo, presents a description of it, but without referring to its tragic consequences on the Palestinian Health System.

Palestinian EMTs working under fire

( http://www.palestinercs.org/ )
This is one of the few reports, I think, that describes the situation without any distortion. It is true that Palestinian health sector is suffering serious problems, some of which are directly related to occupation, that are undermining its ability to provide even the most basic health needs.
During the last few years of the Intifada (civil uprise against Israeli occupation) both sides have occasionally used violence. It was almost impossible for me to reach my work place ( it took me an hour or so to reach my hospital which is 5 km away from my home ! ), but to date I have to be fair and tell that I was never stopped by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) from reaching my work at hospital. I have witnessed few events in which Israeli soldiers stopped or restricted the movement of Palestinian EMTs but to date this was not a rule followed by IDF.

Romilly report was surely balanced. I do agree with her that "American nurses must find the courage to help end the violence". American nurses can do much to explore and report to the world the tragic consequences of this ongoing conflict. Maybe the huge numbers of casualties from both sides will wake up not only the world, but the Palestinians and Israelis and bring an end to this meaningless and pointless confrontation.

References:

Romilly, C.(2005).Across the Barrier: An investigation into the experience of Israeli and Palestinian nurses. American Journal of Nursing, 105, 50-55.

http://www.palestinercs.org/

What is it like to be a Nurse ?

Working with very young babies seemed a very challenging and difficult task when I was first assigned to work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Aside from the technical and professional complications of this job , day by day it was apparent that these SILENT babies were totally depending on the nursing team to deliver care and provide a chance for normal growth and development. I used to spend very long hours with these very young babies who couldn't speak for themselves. It was my responsibility to know what they need and what it takes to pass through those difficult moments. We usually think of the strong BOND and ATTACHMENT between the mother and her child , but in my work experience with these babies I realized that NURSES are providing care that far exceeds that that can be given by the mother ! The work which seems very challenging, was also giving me hard times thinking about the stages of progress that we go through.
These very fine and delicate babies were giving us great lessons in survival ! Fighting disease, immaturity, and helplessness was a very useful lesson for me, It taught me that even the helpless baby wont give up ... It taught me to go on whatever it takes and whatever it costs....

Note : this picture was taken at 4 am, Al-Ahli Hospital, Hebron, Palestine.

Family-Centered Care , زيارة العائلة للطفل

عندما جاءت عائلة الطفل " محمود " الذي أدخل قبل يوم واحد إلى وحدة العناية بالخداج ، حضر كل من الأب و أعمام الطفل الثلاثة و جدة الطفل . هذا بالإضافة إلى اخو محمود الوحيد " احمد " الذي يبلغ من العمر 8 سنوات . لقد كانت العائلة بانتظار مولودها الجديد منذ سنوات كثيرة ، و أخيرا جاء المولود الجديد و الجميع يود رؤيته و زيارته . و قد كان الخبر الغير سار للعائلة ان الممرض المسؤول لم يسمح سوى للاب فقط بالدخول ! و حيث أن الأب يعمل محاضرا في احد الجامعات فقد أبدى تساؤله و رغبته في معرفة السبب . لم يكن مقتنعا أبدا من سبب السماح للأب و الأم فقط بالدخول . و دارت مناقشة طويلة و جدل محتدم أصر فيها الممرض على رأيه بعدم السماح لأحد بالدخول حيث أن " ذلك يؤدي لتلوّث المكان بالجراثيم و يشكل خطرا على المرضى الموجودين سيّما أن القسم معقّم ، و من يُسمح له بالدخول لا بدّ أن يرتدي اللباس الواقي !" أثناء كل ذلك الجدل لاحظ والد الطفل دخول ثلاثة من الأطباء و ممرضَين اثنين من دون أي رقيب أو حتى ارتداء أية ملابس واقية او ايّة إجراءات أخرى . وتساءل الأب ؛ كيف يدخل كل هؤلاء و بملابسهم العادية و لا يسمح لأخ الطفل أو جدّته بالدخول ؟؟؟ و هل الأطباء و الممرضون معقّمون و نحن مليئون بالجراثيم و الميكروبات ؟؟؟ ما هذا

هل صحيح ان غرفة العناية المكثفة للخداج هي مكان " معقم " ولا يجوز لأي أحد كان اختراق حرمته ؟؟ و هل صحيح انه من الواجب عدم السماح لاي شخص زيارة هذا المكان بسبب انه مكان معقم ؟؟ و هل قسم الخداج تسري عليه نفس شروط قسم العمليات مثلا ؟؟ وسواء أكانت الإجابة نعم أم لا ، فما هو التفسير لذلك ؟؟

يجب ان لا ننسى أبداً ان الهدف الأول للزيارة هو كي يطمئن الأهل على صحة مريضهم . لذا تعتبر زيارة المريض حقاً قانونياً و أخلاقياً للأهل أيا كانت الظروف . وإن أية محاولة لتحديد الزيارة تحت أي سبب كان تضعنا تحت طائلة المسؤولية الأخلاقية و وجود التبرير المسؤول و المبني على أسس علمية لا شك أو جدال بها
- إن القاعدة الوحيدة الراسخة الآن عدم ممارسة أي عمل تمريضي أو طبي من دون الأسس العلمية المثبتة ، أو ما يسمى بال
-Evidence-Based Practice
و بناء عليه فان السماح او عدم السماح بدخول أفراد العائلة يجب أن يكون مبنيا على اساس علمي فقط ، و ليس مجرد روتين أو عادة تعوّدنا عليها

اذا ما راجعنا المصادر العلمية الموثوقة في مجال العناية بالخداج فاننا نجد اختلافات كثيرة فيما يتعلق بالسماح أو منع زيارة الأهل للطفل في قسم الخداج . إننا في هذه القضية اذا نقف أمام مفترق طرق به خياران ؛ الأول إتباع رأي الأغلبية في السماح ( و المراد هنا عدد و نوع المسموح لهم ) أو منع الزيارة . إن معظم أقسام العناية بالخداج في العالم أجمع تسمح للأهل ( يتضمن ذلك الأطفال ) و الأصدقاء المقربين من العائلة بزيارة طفلهم . فمثلا 90 % من أقسام الخداج في بريطانيا تسمح بدخول الأهل : عدد محدود جداً من الأصدقاء أو الأقرباء للزيارة - بشرط الخلو من الأمراض المعدية ، و يتحقق ذلك بعدم وجود ارتفاع في درجة الحرارة خصوصا لدى الأطفال . الرأي الثاني هو الموجود في المصادر العلمية الحديثة ، و نتفاجأ إذ نعلم انه يشجع على السماح بالزيارة و يعتبرها ركنا هاما جدا من أجل ضمان نمو متكامل للطفل- و هذا ما يعرف الان بمفهوم
Developmental Care

خلاصة الفكرة التي أود طرحها في هذا السياق ليست فقط مسالة السماح بالزيارة أو عدم السماح أو ما بين ذلك ، الفكرة الأهم هي : هل نتخذ قراراتِنا و نضع سياساتنا المتعلقة بالرعاية بالطفل بناء على ما وجدنا آباءنا عليه أم بناء على مراجعة دقيقة و منهجية للأبحاث و الدراسات العلمية المتوفرة ؟؟؟ سؤال يجب طرحه عند اتخاذ ايّة قرارات أو سياسات ...

إعداد : أسيد محمد رشيد ، وحدة العناية بالخداج- المستشفى الاهلي- الخليل

Hopes for a better life

Life is full of challenges and new events. Every while we look
at ourselves and there comes a moment when we evaluate ourselves
to see where we really stand.
From my experience I have learned that talking about something is not like living it. Our tough life here in Palestine has taught us a lot; it has taught us to value life more and to think well before doing or accepting things.

I am still learning about life. I have started to do what I have been hearing and reading and I think that this is a very huge challenge !