Lancet
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In 2017, the Ministry of Health in Gaza introduced Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC) as its primary maternal and neonatal care strategy. EENC comprises a package of simple evidence-based interventions that are delivered during labour and delivery, and in the early post-partum period, to prevent or treat the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in newborn babies. Four public maternity hospitals in Gaza, responsible for approximately 75% of all deliveries, began implementation of EENC in June, 2017. Clinical coaching was delivered by national facilitators over 2 days, and targeted all clinical staff in maternity and neonatal units. Subsequently, EENC quality improvement teams were formed to address contextual factors that influence practice. This study aimed to determine whether introduction of EENC resulted in changes in clinical practices for vaginal births. ⋯ Support for this work was provided by WHO, occupied Palestinian territory.
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Open globe eye injuries have poor visual outcomes. In Palestine, no studies have completely described the impact of time delays to surgery on visual outcomes. This study examines the causal factors for open globe eye injuries, time to presentation, and the effects of delays to surgery on visual outcomes. ⋯ None.
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Patients with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, and assessment of cardiac risk is important for preventive strategies. We compared the performance of two cardiac assessment tools to predict 10-year cardiovascular risk. ⋯ None.
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WHO defines an attack on health care as "any act of verbal or physical violence or obstruction or threat of violence that interferes with the availability, access and delivery of curative and/or preventive health services during emergencies." Gaza's Great March of Return (GMR) began on Mar 30, 2018, with 322 Palestinians killed and 33 141 injured by December, 2019, and first-response health-care teams exposed to high levels of violence. The aims of this study were threefold: to explore the vulnerabilities of health workers to attacks during the GMR; to understand the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of systems for monitoring health attacks; and to identify potential strategies and interventions to improve protection. ⋯ In 2017 and 2018, WHO's Right to Health Advocacy programme received funding from the Swiss Development Cooperation and the oPt Humanitarian Fund.
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The United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is one of the main health-care providers in the Gaza Strip. It provides primary health services to approximately 1·3 million Palestine refugees, comprising approximately 76% of the population of the Gaza Strip. UNRWA has well-prepared emergency health plans that are based on previous conflict experiences. However, the Great March of Return (GMR) injuries that UNRWA has faced since Mar 31, 2018, are considered a new experience of emergency. GMR is a protest activity launched by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to express their right to return to their homes, from which they were expelled in 1948. This study aimed to describe the GMR-related injury patterns in patients and the health services provided as a part of the UNRWA emergency response in Gaza. ⋯ None.