| Holy Family Hospital, Bethlehem:
In 1985 the Order of Malta took over the renovation and management of the hospital in Bethlehem, after the founders had to close do to socio-political and economic situations rising out of the Arab-Israeli conflict. After a five year renovation period, the 28 bed maternity was inaugurated.  In 1995 outreach clinics were introduced in order to reach the very poor at their doorstep. The team started going with a mobile clinic to areas in the Judean Desert where people still live in tents and shacks and lack everything including sanitary facilities, electricity and running water. In 1998 a new 10 bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit opened - the first facility of its kind in the whole region. In 2001 the hospital raises its capacity to 47 beds and includes a large outpatient facility and the addition of a second operating room. By 2007 demand again was outsripping supply, and the occupancy rate for the neonatal clinic was at 120%. So capacity was increased from 47 to 63. A new floor is inaugurated housing a new Labor Ward and a larger Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  Very rapidly, the hospital has developed into the primary maternity referral center for the Bethlehem District With a growing reputation for high quality care, more and more mothers are coming long distances mainly from the Hebron area South of Bethlehem and more recently from villages east of Jerusalem, due to the construction of the wall. Since 1990, The hospital has delivered over 40 000 children, currently at a rate of about 3,200 deliveries per year. And the hospital provides the only available medical care for high-risk pregnancies. The hospital relies on funding by the Order itself. Patient fees only cover about 33% of the operating costs, as many parents are unable to pay and the Bethlehem region has neither a social welfare system nor health insurance. 25% of mothers and children who attend the hospital live in refugee camps, and the intensive care unit cares for over 400 children annually. more than 15,000 patients attend the outpatient clinic. The annual running cost of the hospital is about USD3m. 80% of the babies are muslem.  in 2002 the Hospital was fired on, however it continued to operate for the good of all those in need, despite the unstable environment.  the website of the hospital is http://www.holyfamilyhospital-bethlehem.org/ |
