News - Middle East: The World Bank says restrictions imposed by the Israeli regime and the worsening economic condition in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank hinder the Palestinians’ access to healthcare.

In a report titled Racing Against Time, the Washington-based global lender said on Monday the restrictions on movement and trade in the West Bank, and Gaza and the divide between the two Palestinian territories were among several factors putting the Palestinian economy at high risk. “Given population growth trends, income per capita is thus expected to stagnate.”

“The fiscal constraints weigh heavily on the Palestinian health system and particularly on its ability to cope with the mounting burden of non-communicable diseases,” Stefan Emblad, the World Bank's director for the West Bank and Gaza, said in a statement released with the report.

The restrictions, including “a lengthy, bureaucratic regime of permits,” often makes it hard to provide timely life-saving healthcare to Palestinians, he said.
Access to outside medical referrals for treatment of cancer, heart diseases, and maternal and child-birth conditions are significantly affected due to physical and administrative constraints, the statement said. “The situation is particularly critical in Gaza, which suffers from a more limited health system capacity and where patients struggle to get needed medical exit permit applications on a timely basis.”

“Research figures show that the near-blockade of Gaza has had an impact on mortality, as some patients do not outlive the length of the permit process.”