68. Gaza Health Services Research Center. Palestinian Health Status: Annual Report 1995, Palestine. Gaza: PNA, Ministry of Health, 1996: 116 pp.

This report presents information on the demography, mortality and service provision in West Bank and Gaza Strip. The results are derived from secondary data. The population size for 1995 was estimated to be 860,000 for the Gaza Strip and 1,500,000 for the West Bank. Population growth was estimated to be 5.2% in Gaza and 5.1% in the West Bank. Questionable infant mortality rates are presented at 25 deaths per thousand births for the Gaza Strip and 14.3 for the West Bank. The main causes of infant mortality in the Gaza Strip were pneumonia (22.9%), prematurity (19.4%), congenital disorders (10.8%) and diarrhea (10.1%). In children aged 1-5 years, traffic and other accidents caused 28% of all deaths. In adults the major causes of death were cerebrovascular disease and ischemic heart disease. The report presents information on governmental health services at the primary and secondary level. According to these data, hospital bed occupancy rates in governmental hospitals vary widely from one region to another, ranging from 21.9% in a Jericho hospital to 105.4% in a Jenin hospital. Other aspects covered by the report include human resource development activities, research activities, priority projects planned for 1996, financial reports and health insurance. Data indicate that the MOH expenditure for 1995 was about $77.5 million, about half of which was spent on salaries. The deficit in the MOH budget constituted about $45 million.