Japan funds $1.97 million for Gaza emergency medical teams
The grant will train 100 national emergency medical staff and set up a coordination cell at Gaza's Health Ministry.
The World Health Organization and the Government of Japan signed an agreement on Tuesday for a grant of 294 million yen, about $1.97 million, to strengthen emergency health care in Gaza, the Representative Office of Japan to Palestine said.
The signing took place in Ramallah between Katsuhiko Araike, Japan's ambassador for Palestinian affairs and its representative to Palestine, and Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, the WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The office said Gaza's health system remains under heavy strain from a shortage of health workers, rising patient needs and growing demand for specialized medical services.
A central part of the grant is an Emergency Medical Team coordination cell within the Health Ministry's Emergency Operations Centre in Gaza City.
Ministry staff will run the cell with technical support from the WHO, and it will oversee the registration, coordination and deployment of incoming emergency medical teams.
The office said the cell will help ensure that medical aid matches national priorities and established standards.
Thirty health officials and partners will be trained in requesting, managing and coordinating emergency medical teams, the office said.
The grant will also fund the training and equipping of 100 national emergency medical staff, along with deployment kits for them.
The project will introduce standard operating procedures, practical guidance and data management systems to track teams' medical activities and guide operational and recovery decisions.
The grant is also meant to move coordination of these teams gradually to the Health Ministry, so that future responses are led nationally.
Araike said the needs of Palestinians go beyond immediate humanitarian relief and also require restored infrastructure, stronger public institutions and basic services.
Van De Weerdt said medical teams have helped keep Gaza's health system running since 2023, and that the project would keep that capacity in Gaza.
The WHO has operated in Gaza throughout the war that began in October 2023, providing medical support as hospitals and clinics were damaged or forced out of service.
