SIXTY-SECOND WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY Provisional agenda item 14
A62/INF.DOC./3 14 May 2009
Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan At the request of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, the Director-General has the honour to transmit to the Sixty-second World Health Assembly the attached report by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic, Department of International Organizations and Conferences.
A62/INF.DOC./3
ANNEX
1. The Syrian citizens living in the occupied Syrian Golan and subjected to the Israeli occupation, still suffer from health problems. They maintain close ties with their Syrian homeland and are unanimous in their rejection of the Israeli identity imposed upon them. The suffering of these citizens could be summarized as follows. • There is no integrated health centre providing services to the people living in the five occupied villages (Majdal Shams, Baqaata, Mas’ada, El Gajar and Ain Qania), whose total population is about 28 000 persons. • People have to use ambulance services and hospitals in Safed in the occupied Palestinian territory. • Reports have been received of increases in certain diseases, particularly kidney failure, which need further investigation. 2. In addition, the Israeli occupation authorities oblige the Golan population to pay high fees for medical examinations, hospitalization and health insurance premiums, which are beyond people’s limited incomes. Beside the high costs it bears, the population continuously suffers from the lack of first aid centres, physicians and specialized clinics such as women’s and maternity clinics, radiology clinics, and emergency centres. 3. For some time, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic has been conducting intensive contacts with friendly states and with international humanitarian organizations working in the field of health with a view to establishing three health centres in the occupied Syrian Golan, as well as a specialized hospital under the supervision of the Syrian Red Crescent Society, in order to assist the Syrian citizens in this occupied territory and alleviate their suffering as a result of the inhuman practices of the Israeli occupation authorities. However, the Israeli authorities have not responded to these requests. 4. In resolution WHA61.3, entitled “Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan”, adopted in May 2008, the Sixty-first World Health Assembly expressed its concern at the deterioration of economic and health conditions as well as the humanitarian crisis resulting from the continued occupation and the severe restrictions imposed by Israel, the occupying power. The Health Assembly also expressed its concern at the health crisis and rising levels of food insecurity in the occupied territories, and affirmed the need to guarantee universal coverage for the populations of the occupied territory. Further, it requested the DirectorGeneral to submit a fact-finding report on the health and economic situation in the occupied Syrian Golan, and to provide health-related technical assistance for the Syrian population in the occupied Syrian Golan.
The required health-related technical assistance 5. The project to build health centres in the occupied Syrian Golan needs to be activated, as the technical studies, which include the building of four health centres in Majdal Shams, Baqaata, Ain Qania and El Gajar, are already in place. = = = 3