The International Fund for the Palestinian Health System to Confront the COVID-19 Pandemic: Strategic Re-Thinking for Sustainable Development

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread issues over the world, creating a crisis in public health, humanitarian aid, and development. In addition to having a direct effect on economies and health systems, the pandemic may aggravate inequities and stop progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This cross-sectional research was conducted in Palestine, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, between February and June 2022. It was focused on evaluating the contribution of donated international funds to the development of the Palestinian health system components throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Data about governmental, private, and non-governmental organizations (local and international) that were implementing their activities in the field of public health and receiving international funds for the implementation of their activities during the COVID-19 pandemic were collected through deep-surfing literature and desk reviews and using a structured questionnaire consisting of close-ended questions. The distribution of the study participants among health institutions according to the institute type was as follows: governmental (16.7%), non-governmental organizations (49.9%), and private (33.4%). Donors need to proactively coordinate with the Palestinian health system in order to ensure the efficacy, efficiency, impact, relevance, satisfaction, risk and protection, coherence, and sustainability of the provided donated funds to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizations that make up the Palestinian health system need to enhance their capacity to strategically manage the provided donated international funds in a way that promotes their ability to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.