Hebron, 20 May 2020 – The German Representative Office handed over a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) system to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Hebron on Wednesday 20 May 2020. Present were the German Head of Cooperation, Peter Wolfrum, Jibreen Al Bakri, Governor of Hebron, Dr Rami Al Qawasmi, Director of the Health Directorate in Hebron, Imad Hamdan, Director General of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee and UNDP.
The PCR system, worth approximately US$43,000, will enable the Ministry of Health to increase the number of tests for COVID-19 and assess the extent of its spread. Tests conducted in Hebron Governorate are currently being sent to Ramallah and Bethlehem. With the new PCR system, health professionals will be able to conduct COVID-19 tests locally and serve the population across the four directorates in the Hebron Governorate. Hebron has been heavily affected by the crisis, with 73 registered cases of COVID-19, representing around 19% of the total cases in the occupied Palestinian territory. According to the Ministry of Health, 5,639 tests have been conducted in the Hebron Governorate and 27,758 people are registered under home quarantine.
The German support as part of Team Europe’s efforts is provided through the German Development Bank KfW in the framework of the Employment Generation Programme that is implemented by UNDP in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. In addition to the PCR system, Germany is supporting the health sector in the Hebron governorate through the renovation and rehabilitation of Dr Abdel Hafiz Al-Ashhab Medical Centre, which will be implemented through the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee.
For further information, please contact:
German Representative Office in Ramallah
Hanna Ilge Tel. +972-2-2977647 – e-mail: wz-2@rama.diplo.de. For more information on the German Representative Office see https://ramallah.diplo.de/.
KfW – German Development Bank
Raghad Shanti Tel. +970-2-2400730 – e-mail: raghad.shanti@kfw.de KfW Office Ramallah / Al Bireh. For more information on KfW Development Bank see http://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de.
United Nations Development Programme
Dania Darwish, Communications Specialist, Tel. +972-2-6268229 – e-mail: dania.darwish@undp.org. For more information on UNDP/PAPP see http://www.ps.undp.org.
Document Sources: UNDP Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Country: Germany
Subject: Assistance, Health
Publication Date: 20/05/2020
URL source: https://www.ps.undp.org/content/papp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2020/germany-provides-pcr-system-for-newly-established-laboratory-in-.html