The Palestinian population is growing at 3.3% annually. Palestinians have one of the highest fertility rates in the world. Nearly 3.7 million people live in the West Bank and Gaza, >50 percent of whom are below the age of 17years. Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth with more than 5000 people per square mile.

While, the current budget of the Ministry of Health is limited and demand for services is exploding, the Palestinians are mainly depending on foreign donations. Major donors include the World Bank, USAID, European Community, Saudi and other Arab states, WHO, NGOs and Japan. The donors have played a very important and central role in the delivery of health care services in recent years.
 

• Ministry of Health runs 24 hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza and around 250 clinics
• Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) plays an important role in the health care, runs 14 hospitals and close to 200 outpatient clinics
• UNRWA one hospital in Qalqelia
• Private Sector

   

In Palestine there are 78 hospitals with 2,864 beds. The population / hospital ratio is 49,850 per hospital. The average bed capacity per hospital is 64.3 beds.

 Table (1): Comparison between beds by health providers in 1999 and 2007

Table (2):   Distribution of existing licensed private (for profit) health services by governorate and service, Palestine 2007

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