(Rivista Internazionale - December 1998: BETHLEHEM 2000 - 1/2)

Health

"Bethlehem 2000"

Bethlehem. The religious ceremony celebrated in the chapel of the Holy Family Hospital, present the Grand Hospitaller, Baron Albrecht von Boeselager.

Last year, H.E. Baron Albrecht von Boeselager, Grand Hospitaller of the Sovereign Order of Malta, presented the Maternity Hospital of the Holy Family in Bethlehem in the Rivista Internazionale.
Today I just want to tell you what point we have reached and what is planned for the future. 1998 has not been easy. On a political level, the peace processes have been practically blocked until the recent Wye Plantation agreements, of which the effects have not yet been felt. The consequences have been the closure of the borders between Bethlehem and the outside world, causing problems for our maternity hospital for procurements and contacts with the outside. In addition, some women registered with us have not been able to reach our hospital and the local population has had difficulties in obtaining general provisions, making our interventions in the service of the poor even more indispensable, since a social security system does not yet exist in Palestine.
During the summer, we only had water one day every fortnight and we had to hire 47 tankers, at great cost in dollars, to "import" this precious commodity. We were thus forced to restore and use old cisterns dating back to the last century to have a 30 day reserve.
Despite all these political, economic and organisation problems, after the last council in Bethlehem on 30 October 1998 our Director General, Dr. McCarthy, commented,: "Our maternity hospital continues to play a vital role in the community, guaranteeing normal obstetrical treatment.

The inauguration ceremony of the obstetrics ward, in the presence of the General Director Dr. MacCarthy, the Governor of Bethlehem and numerous religious and civil personalities.

We have become the reference hospital of the region. We are receiving an increasing number of complicated cases sent to us by the other hospitals or private doctors.
Sixty percent of our caesareans are carried out on women who were not registered with us.
The fact we have a neonatal service also helps to increase the number of complicated cases sent to us."
We have delivered 17,022 babies from the opening of the maternity hospital in 1990 up to mid November 1998, and we now have a monthly rate of 200 deliveries.
The mobile unit created with the Filles de la Charité is in full operation. Equipped with portable ultrasound scan, it regularly visits four villages quite far from Bethlehem and the number of consultations has risen to 2000 from the beginning of the year.
Our agreements with the University of Bethlehem are being up-dated; we are very eager to maintain a strong link with this university, which two years ago reopened the midwives’ school we had founded with the government.
But the most important thing for us today is to participate in the "Bethlehem 2000" operation. The town of Bethlehem is currently a building site: road repairs, reorganisation of public lighting, the construction of new public buildings, new water supplies, etc.
During a conference in Brussels in May 1998, on the initiative of Mr. Jacques Santer, President of the European Commission, Yasser Arafat, President of the National Palestinian Authority, thanking the participants said to them: "With your presence, you are demonstrating your friendship and your support for the project to celebrate the year 2000 in Bethlehem, Palestinian city and holy city for all believers world-wide...

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