Palestine: EIB and WHO partner to strengthen primary healthcare and oncology services as part of a global joint initiative

On Sunday, European Investment Bank (EIB) President Hoyer attended the opening ceremony of the new EIB Representation for the West Bank and Gaza. During the event, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory Dr. Richard Peeperkorn and EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti confirmed the successful ongoing implementation of the first two technical assistance assignments conducted under the global EIB-WHO partnership for health. The EIB is supporting the WHO to assist the Ministry of Health in assessing and reshaping the national primary healthcare and oncology services strategies. The support will lead to improved prioritisation and increased investment in health in Palestine.

“The EIB and the WHO are committed to strengthening health investments that improve public health in the West Bank and Gaza,” said EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti. “The EIB contribution will help the WHO and local authorities to better plan and unlock investments for the welfare of the Palestinian people, such as primary healthcare and oncology services. The two projects we confirm today are an example of the joint commitment to deliver on our global partnership for health, complementing each other’s strengths.”

“The EIB-supported joint Ministry of Health and WHO assessments are strategic and will help to update essential health packages and health financing strategy, improve governance of oncology services, and guide the much-needed increased investment in health in Palestine,” said Dr Peeperkorn.

Background information

On 1 May 2020, the European Investment Bank and the World Health Organization signed their first Memorandum of Understanding, outlining common focus areas including increased collaboration on primary healthcare and health system resilience. The occupied Palestinian territory is the first pilot area where cooperation has been initiated between the two organisations. 

The EIB and the WHO, in close cooperation with the European Commission, work together under a global partnership aimed at mobilising investment to support countries in closing the health funding gap and building resilient health systems based on a solid foundation of primary healthcare, to help them reach their health-related Sustainable Development Goals.

The shared goals of the partnership are being achieved by applying a country-led and country-driven approach, identifying gaps in national health systems, designing strategies for interventions and their corresponding investment plans, investing in health system projects and programmes, convening capital providers, supporting implementation and monitoring impact.

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