NEW DELHI: India has signed a memorandum of understanding with Palestinian authorities to build a specialty hospital in the West Bank, following an international appeal for urgent healthcare assistance made by the Palestinian Embassy in New Delhi.
On Wednesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and Sripriya Ranganathan, India’s vice minister of external affairs, participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the 200-bed Indian Super Specialty Hospital in Jenin.
“The hospital will have multiple specialties, including a trauma center, and is expected to strengthen access to advanced and specialized medical services, particularly for communities in Jenin and the northern West Bank,” the Indian mission in Palestine said in a statement on Thursday.
After almost three years of Israeli forces causing widespread destruction and openly targeting healthcare facilities across Gaza, only 19 out of 36 hospitals are partially operational in the besieged enclave as of June, data from the World Health Organization showed.
The occupied West Bank is also facing an escalating healthcare crisis, with over 11,000 scheduled surgeries postponed this year due to severe shortages in medicines and medical supplies.
