Hebron branch

PRCS’ Hebron Branch was established in 1965 with a view to providing health, social and academic services to Palestinians. It contributes to promoting the health and social conditions of Palestinians in the southern West Bank through the following programs, services and centers:

1.      PRCS’ Specialized Hospital

The hospital is made up of a nine-story building, each story measuring 470 m2. Hospital expansion works are set to start on an adjacent piece of land (4500 m2) and are expected to double the hospital’s bed capacity (140 beds). The hospital consists of the following wards:

• An Emergency Department (3 beds);
• Outpatient clinics;
• Gynecology, obstetrics and fertility ward. It consists of 10 beds, three delivery rooms and an operating theatre;
• Pediatric Intensive Care ward (5 beds) ;
• Neo-natal Intensive Care ward (17 incubators);
• Pediatric ward (20 beds);
• Surgical ward, which includes two operating theatres and 20 beds;
• Backstopping medical services, including a laboratory, a blood bank, x-ray services, a pharmacy, medical warehouses, a medical engineering section and a genetic lab.

Pediatric medical specialties offered by the hospital:

• Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care;
• Pediatric Neurology;
• Pediatric Orthopedics;
• Pediatric Oncology;
• Pediatric Endocrinology;
• Pediatric Cardiology (fetal screening and echocardiograms);
• Pediatric Pulmonology;
• Pediatric Nephrology;
• Pediatric Gastroenterology;
• Pediatric Hematology/Oncology;
• Pediatric Rheumatology.

Pediatric Surgical Specialties offered by the hospital:

• Pediatric Otolaryngology Surgery;
• Pediatric Urological Surgery;
• Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery;
• Pediatric Neurosurgery;
• Pediatric Cosmetic Surgery;
• Pediatric General Surgery.

Additional Hospital Units:

• Electroencephalography unit;
• Endoscopy unit;
• Cystic Fibrosis unit;
• Audiology unit.

2.      Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Center

The branch operates 23 ambulances, including one equipped for kidney patients which has the outside appearance of an ordinary PRCS’ ambulance.

3.      Disaster Preparedness

The branch organizes awareness raising campaigns for school children in the Governorate on earthquakes and sound evacuation methods. It holds field training courses for Hebron’s Disaster Preparedness Team. The branch also contributes to the development of disaster preparedness plans alongside other stakeholders in the Governorate.

4.      Rehabilitation Services

•  Al Raja’a center for special education

Established in 1985, the center provides care for mentally disabled children aged 6 to 18. It focuses on children with mild and moderate mental disabilities who respond to learning and rehabilitation, with a view to making them active and productive and integrating them in the labor market, whether in professional workshops in the center or in local factories and institutions. More than 140 students with special needs are enrolled in the center’s main branch and two sub-branches in Tarkoumia and Southern Hebron. Learning takes place under the supervision and care of 24 skilled staff.

The Center is composed of several sections, mainly: a) the Educational section, which comprises 12 special education classrooms and aims at developing students’ mental capacities and self-care potential. The section also comprises an occupational therapy unit, a speech therapy unit and an educational games library; and b) the Professional section. It comprises greenhouses (1500 m2), poultry farms, a beekeeping farm (honey production), a candle workshop, a bamboo workshop and an embroidery and handicrafts workshop.

B – The Physiotherapy center

The center is adjacent to the EMS building. It provides services free-of-charge to the needy, the injured and families of Palestinian martyrs and detainees. The center runs a prosthesis unit, a speech therapy unit, and an audiology unit.

5.      The Mohamad Eid Shaheen Center for Community Development

The center aims at:

• enhancing social solidarity and community-based voluntary action to meet the development needs of Palestinian families;
•  promoting educational sound practices;
•  developing infrastructure services targeting children, youths, women and the elderly at the community level;
•  developing well trained human resources specialized in an array of fields through specialized and educational courses held at the center;
• increasing the quantity and quality of relevant studies and research.

6.      Educational Services – Kindergartens

The branch operates two kindergartens with 120 children and provides transportation from and to their homes, as follows:

•  Khalil Al Rahman kindergarten/Dweirban. Located next to Al Raja’a center, it aims to integrate disabled children with their peers.
• Al Saraya kindergarten. Located next to Al Ibrahimi Mosque, it provides services against symbolic fees for children in the Old City of Hebron.

7.      Youths and Volunteers Programme and Community Center

19 voluntary committees operate in Hebron Governorate with the help of 1300 volunteers. As voluntary action constitutes one of PRCS’ main pillars, the branch depends on volunteers for support. It also helps polish their skills and build their capacities.

Both the committees and the Community Center target the local community at large (men, women, children, youths, elderly persons and persons with special needs), with particular focus on young people.