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With United States support, UNRWA implements Family Health Team approach in all five fields of operations

22 November 2016

In a changing environment of increasing health care needs – particularly with the increase of chronic non-communicable diseases, rising health care costs and limited financial resources – UNRWA has worked continuously to find and adopt new strategies to response effectively to the emergent needs of the Palestine refugee population. 

As part of these efforts, in 2011, UNRWA launched the Family Health Team (FHT) approach, a new globally adopted, person-centred approach devoted to improving the delivery of quality primary health care for Palestine refugees. Through FHT, health care is now delivered by multidisciplinary medical teams who provide comprehensive and continuous care to the patients and families registered with them, as opposed to providing care to treat specific ailments without taking into consideration the comprehensive health status or the family history of an individual. The approach also included the introduction of ‘e-Health’, an electronic patient medical record system, which has significantly supported and streamlined health care service delivery.

This month, UNRWA marked an important milestone in the FHT implementation process, with the approach now operational in all of the 117 health centres serving Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan. In Syria, exceptional efforts were made to roll out FHT to six health centres out of a total of  26 under the prevailing security situation. These efforts have had a noticeable impact on the quality of care provided to Palestine refugees, resulting in more efficient services, shorter waiting time for patients, increased patient consultation times with health staff and improved health care facilities.

The modernization of the UNRWA health programme would not have been possible without the generous contributions of the government of the United States of America towards this effort, amounting to US$ 3.97 million between 2011 and 2015, as well as additional support from Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, the Saudi Fund for Development and Brazil.  

The Family Health Team approach advocates for a person-centred approach that offers comprehensive, continuous care to patients and their families. Here, an UNRWA doctor conducts a medical check-up of a Palestine refugee child in the UNRWA Rimal Health Centre in Gaza City. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Hussein JaberUNRWA health personnel in the UNRWA Rimal Health Centre in Gaza City. Each Family Health Team is comprised of at least one doctor, a nurse and a clerk, in addition to staff offering support services that include the lab, the pharmacy and dental services. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Hussein JaberUNRWA health personnel during their work at the UNRWA Rimal Health Centre in Gaza City. Each Family Health Team manages approximately the same number of family files, which has greatly improved patient flow in the clinic and equalized the workload among staff. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Hussein JaberA mother and her two children at an UNRWA health centre in Gaza City. As a result of the Family Health Team implementation, health centres have seen less congestion and crowding in waiting areas, which has been met with a positive response from community members and families. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Hussein JaberThe introduction of the queue system at all health centres in Jordan as part of the implementation of the Family Health Team approach has helped to reduce congestion and crowding at UNRWA health centres. Amman New Camp Health Centre, Amman, Jordan © 2014 UNRWA Photo A Palestine refugee patient, Tamer al-Sabea, and his son receive medicine from the pharmacy at the UNRWA Rimal Health Centre in Gaza City. The Family Health Team approach has had a marked positive impact on the health of Palestine refugees Agency-wide, including higher rates of vaccination and a decrease in the antibiotics prescription rate. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Hussein JaberPalestine refugee patients in the waiting area of the Marka Health Centre in Amman, Jordan. The Family Health Team approach has resulted in notable improvements the quality of health care service delivery to Palestine refugees, including an increase in the percentage of pregnant women who are able to attend at least four antenatal care visits, in addition to postnatal visits by mothers and their newborn children. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ahmad KhaderNour, a Palestine refugee living in Jordan, visits the Amman New Camp Health Centre in Amman, Jordan, to receive counseling on preconception care from the midwife on her Family Health Team. © 2015 UNRWA Photo Akiko TakeuchiAn UNRWA doctor attends to a mother and her two children in the UNRWA Rimal Health Centre in Gaza City. As part of the FHT implementation, e-Health, an electronic patient record system, was introduced to UNRWA clinics, significantly improving efficiency in the delivery of health care services. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Hussein JaberMembers of one of the three Family Health Teams at the Amman New Camp Health Centre in Amman, Jordan, meet to discuss a patient case. Thanks to the generous support of donors, including the United States, UNRWA marked the full implementation of the Family Health Team approach in all of the 117 UNRWA health centres in Jordan, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank and six health centres in Syria this month. © 2014 UNRWA Photo

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