Abstract
Addressing the health of people in the context of the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) is a priority in the Gaza Strip, a setting experiencing protracted emergencies and facing pressing situations. This chapter explores the SDH in the Gaza Strip in order to suggest possible entry points for the decision-makers to address the avoidable and unfair inequities, harms, and deprivation faced by the people in the Gaza Strip at the levels of socioeconomic context, exposure, vulnerability, healthcare outcomes, and social consequences. Four methods were used: literature review, desk review, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. The SDH in the Gaza Strip greatly affects the health of people as shown by various indicators, rates, and levels. This situation remains and continues to impact two aspects of health in the Gaza Strip: (1) the health of individuals and families and (2) the capacity and performance of the health system to respond to the citizens’ urgent needs and priorities. Difficulty accessing care; shortages in resources, medicines, and supplies; inadequate health facilities and workforce capacity; extremely challenging living conditions; a fragmented healthcare system; and increasing chronic diseases impact the health of people in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation and intra-Palestinian dispute are key influences of health in the Gaza Strip. Improvements can only come from committed political will, transparency from all regulators, strategic dialogue, comprehensive planning, and active international support.
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Acknowledgments
The Islamic Development Bank provided partial funding for the stipend for Dr. Mohammed AlKhaldi who has led this work.
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AlKhaldi, M., Abuzerr, S., Obaid, H.A., Alnajjar, G., Alkhaldi, A., Khayyat, A. (2020). Social Determinants of Health in Fragile and Conflict Settings: The Case of the Gaza Strip, Palestine. In: Laher, I. (eds) Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_203-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_203-1
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Social Determinants of Health in Fragile and Conflict Zones Before and During Coronavirus Pandemic: the Focus on the Gaza Strip- Published:
- 21 November 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_203-2
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Social Determinants of Health in Fragile and Conflict Settings: The Case of the Gaza Strip, Palestine- Published:
- 10 September 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_203-1