FIMA Year Book 2010-2011 - Federation of Islamic Medical ...

FIMA SUPPORTS SPECIALTY
TRAINING OF PALESTINIAN PHYSICIANS
FIMA SUPPORTS SPECIALTY
TRAINING OF PALESTINIAN PHYSICIANS
Aly A. Mishal *
Aly A. Mishal *
Abstract :
Medical education and specialty training of Palestinian physicians has been chronically suffering from
major handicaps and deficiencies. The grim circumstances under harsh Israeli occupation, repressive
measures, aggression, mass punishments and siege, together with poor economic standards, have
culminated significantly into low standards of both medical care and medical education.
Until 2 decades ago, there were no Palestinian medical schools, and when finally the Palestinians
managed to establish their first medical school, they were faced with various obstacles and deficiencies.
This situation has created a major necessity for outside help, especially in training of Palestinian
physicians in various medical specialties outside Palestine, with continuous efforts to improve standards
of training inside Palestine.
Efforts adopted by the Federation of Islamic Medical Associations (FIMA) and collaborating NGOs will
be outlined in this article.
Keywords: Medical training, Israeli occupation, Gaza siege, FIMA medical relief.
Introduction:
The Palestinians plight story is one of national and
human catastrophe due to the illegitimate,
immoral and unjust occupation by Zionist Israel.
Palestinians have been living under foreign
occupation for decades enduring the restrictions
implemented by the occupying power.
This was compounded by the military invasion,
further restricting access to essential items vital
for “normal existence”.
The people of Palestine have become destitutes in
their homeland, and the current situation has been
described as a crisis of human dignity 1-2 . Prior to
the Israeli occupation of Palestine in 1948,
usurping 78% of her land, the people of Palestine
enjoyed the highest standards of living among
people of the Middle East.
Although they had no medical schools, their
youths went abroad to obtain medical education
and training.
The Nakba (catastrophe) continued with further
confiscation of Palestinian land for Jewish
settlements, and its 1967occupation of what was
left of Palestine, namely the West Bank and Gaza
Strip. Between the years 1948-1967, these 2
territories, under Jordan and Egyptian
administration, respectively, enjoyed acceptable
standards of medical care. Medical students joined
medical schools in Arab, Islamic, western and
eastern countries.
*Aly A. Misha’l MD, FACP
Senior Consultant in Endocrinology
Ex-Chief of Medical Staff
Ex-Chairman-Council of Training
Islamic Hospital, Amman- Jordan
E-mail: fimainfo@islamic-hospital.org
FIMA YearBook 2010-2011
99