The Secretary General of NCA receiving a detailed briefing from the doctors and nurses at AVH. Photo: NCA
AVH opens Pediatric Palliative Ward
(LWI) – “The test for human beings is what you do when there is no longer hope for healing,” the General Secretary of Norwegian Church Aid, Dagfinn Høybråten, said during the inauguration of the newly renovated Pediatric Palliative Ward at the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in Jerusalem on 20 November.
An innovative concept in Palestine piloted by AVH, the new pediatric palliative ward offers a comprehensive approach in the treatment of its patients. It integrates medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care and offers a support system to help patients and their families. Recognizing that enhancing the quality of life may positively influence the course of illness, the basic concept of AVH’s approach is to care for the patients in dignity.
Expressing her sincere thanks to LWF and AVH’s longstanding partners, Sieglinde Weinbrenner, the LWF Jerusalem Representative, noted that “The AVH is a place well known for its treatment and care for cancer patients”. She added that AVH’s ambition is to “continuously improve the quality of care and to bring the concept of palliative care into the community and to the overall Palestinian health care system”. In this work, the support of local and international partners is vital.
It is the ambition of the AVH “to bring this palliative care concept to a wider spread in the community and into the Palestinian health care system.”
The long-standing partnership between the LWF / AVH and the Representative Office of Norway to the Palestinian Authority, Norwegian Church Aid, DanChurch Aid as well as the Islamic Development Bank made it possible to establish the much-needed pediatric palliative ward in East Jerusalem.
In addition to support for upgrading the unit, investments have been made in training of relevant personnel. “There have been numerous exchanges of doctors to Norwegian hospitals for learning and capacity building,” said the AVH CEO Walid Nammour. “We are looking forward to continuing our fruitful partnership to learn from each other and to best serve the health needs of the Palestinian people.”
Augusta Victoria Hospital is a center of medical excellence in East Jerusalem, serving all 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. It offers specialized care not available in other hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza, including radiation therapy for cancer patients and pediatric hemodialysis. Augusta Victoria Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission International for its outstanding quality. Patients are referred to the AVH by the Palestinian Authority.
