Date: April 11, 2025
A Call to Improve Medical Services for Palestinian Refugees and Expand Hospital Contracts Instead of Reducing Them
Dr. Abu Holi Calls on UNRWA to Reconsider Its Decisions Regarding Cuts to Health Services in Lebanon
The Department of Refugee Affairs of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has rejected UNRWA’s decision in Lebanon to stop covering hospitalization costs for Palestinian refugees in non-contracted hospitals as of April 4.
Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi, Member of the Executive Committee of the PLO and Head of the Refugee Affairs Department, described UNRWA’s decision as unjust, irresponsible, and inhumane, coming at a time when medical needs are increasing at an unprecedented rate.
Abu Holi stressed that UNRWA’s decisions to reduce health services in Lebanon and to halt coverage of hospitalization costs in non-contracted hospitals do not take into account the reality of Palestinian camps in Lebanon or the severe living conditions of Palestinian refugees, who suffer from high poverty and unemployment rates, lack of job opportunities, and who depend heavily on UNRWA’s services. He warned that this decision threatens the lives of hundreds of patients who are receiving treatment in non-contracted hospitals—facilities that UNRWA used to partially cover prior to its recent policy change.
He pointed out that Palestinian refugees in Lebanon who cannot even afford their daily basic needs, how they can cover additional medical expenses, particularly those suffering from cancer, heart conditions, chronic diseases, or those classified by UNRWA as “Category Three” patients who require surgical operations not available in UNRWA clinics or its contracted hospitals.
Abu Holi also rejected what he described as harsh conditions imposed by UNRWA for emergency cases requiring admission to non-contracted hospitals. These include subjecting patients to a medical review committee and assessing the cost of treatment before approving referrals—procedures that ignore the most basic principles of urgent medical and humanitarian intervention. He emphasized that such actions contradict humanitarian, human rights, and international standards, especially for cancer patients who are now limited by an annual cap on the number of patients receiving treatment and the financial coverage available to them.
He acknowledged the financial crisis that UNRWA is facing, but stressed that the solution should not come through cutting essential services, particularly medical and hospitalization services relied upon by Palestinian refugees. Instead, he urged efforts to increase funding and find new donors.
Abu Holi called on UNRWA’s administration to reconsider its decisions regarding health and hospitalization services, to revert to the 2015 hospitalization and medical care system, and to continue providing hospitalization services to refugees in Lebanon without imposing additional financial burdens that exceed their capabilities. He urged improvements in medical services and an increase in coverage rates for medical cases, rather than reducing them.
Abu Holi also called on UNRWA to enhance healthcare protection, expand its hospital contracts in Lebanon, and adhere to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by world leaders at the United Nations in 2015—goals which consider “healthcare a right for all” as one of their core principles.
Abu Holi further urged donor countries to intervene urgently and provide financial support to enable UNRWA to fulfill its life-saving duties toward millions of Palestinian refugees. He also called on the international community to protect UNRWA’s mandate, which is being targeted by the Israeli occupation to undermine and dismantle.
