Delivering Pediatric Emergency Care in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Challenge
About 2.5 million children currently live in the Palestinian territories. More than 1 million of these children have urgent humanitarian needs, but safe and timely access to pediatric care is limited.
Where we started
David Mills, MD, a Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Global Health fellow from Boston Children’s Hospital, partnered with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and local clinicians to develop and implement contextually adapted curricula for physicians and nurses in resuscitation care and early detection and management of children at risk for serious illness.
Our impact
Together, Boston Children’s and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund have formed a multidisciplinary team that has trained more than 75 clinicians in the West Bank and Gaza to provide emergency care for children. Pediatric early warning tools have been successfully implemented to help nurses identify and provide immediate care for sick children in the hospital setting.
Moving forward
The Boston Children’s team can continue to build local partnerships and replicate these programs in general pediatric, emergency, and trauma care, as well as pediatric ICU care throughout the Middle East.
Contact
David Mills, Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Global Health Fellow
