March, 2020
The meeting took place over a meal at the Ox & Finch restaurant in Glasgow on Monday 2nd March 2020.
Attending
- Ishaq Abu-Arafeh, NHS Consultant Paediatrician; ex-Chair, Scottish Palestinian Society
- Abdullo Alhasso, NHS Consultant Oncologist
- Majdy Ashour, Gaza Doctor and PhD student, University of Edinburgh
- Graham Bryce, retired NHS Consultant Child Psychiatrist
- Colin Cooper, retired NHS GP, medical advisor to Edinburgh Direct Aid
- Andy Ferguson, ex-NHS GP; Programme Director, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
- Saleem Haj-Yahia, Heart Surgeon, ex-Dean of Medicine, An Najar University; Honorary Professor, Universities of Bristol and Glasgow
- Janet Litherland, NHS Consultant radiologist
- Gerry O’Hare, NHS Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Bashir Oudeh, ex-NHS GP; Council Member PalMed
- Ala’ Suboh, Health evaluator, Guidance and Training Centre (GTC) for the Child and Family, Bethlehem; MSc student, University of Glasgow
- Ihab Saleh, Gaza Doctor and MSc student, University of Glasgow
- Graham Watt, Emeritus Professor, General Practice and Primary Care, University of Glasgow; MAP Trustee; Chair of Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance (LPHA) Steering Group
Apologies
Jane Macaskill, Philippa Whitford
Meeting Notes
The group was made up of health professionals and researchers living and/or working or studying in Palestine or Scotland.
It comprised 11 doctors, one nurse and 1 health care evaluator, including 3 consultants working in the NHS (oncology, paediatrics, radiology), 2 clinical academics (cardiovascular surgery, general practice), 3 general practitioners (2 retired), 2 doctors from Gaza studying in Scotland and a retired child psychiatrist.
Several had links with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and one had links with PalMed.
MAP supported the meeting and meal via Andy Ferguson, its Programme Director.
The discussion demonstrated the substantial experience and knowledge of individuals within the group concerning health and health care in the West Bank and Gaza. It was agreed that there would be value in sharing this experience and knowledge more widely as a key function of the Scottish Palestinian Health Faculty (SPHF).
The Faculty
The Faculty is a loose alliance and network of:
- Palestinian health professionals and health researchers who have trained or studied in Scotland
- Palestinian health professionals and health researchers currently working and living in Scotland
- Scottish health professionals and health researchers with links and activities in Palestine
Aims of the SPHF
- To promote Scottish Palestinian health collaboration
- To support the development of health and health care in Palestine
Objectives of the SPHF
- To connect Scottish and Palestinian colleagues working in the health field
- To share experience, information, evidence, views and plans
- To develop new activities involving Scottish Palestinian health collaboration
- To support Palestinian health professionals and researchers visiting Scotland
- To raise the profile and impact of Scottish Palestinian health collaboration
Notes
- The Faculty will not have a representative function. It will not speak on behalf of its members, nor will it be responsible for the views of individual members.
- The Faculty will not duplicate or compete with existing activities by other organisations e.g. MAP, PalMed.
- Membership will be based on willingness to contribute brief information concerning current position and the nature and extent of Scottish Palestinian activity.
- There will be no subscription fee.
- The SPHF will not engage in independent advocacy, but its existence and activities will both be implicit statements of solidarity and support
Next Steps
Several small steps will be taken to establish the identity, composition and potential activity of the SPHF.
- To maintain a list and keep in email contact with Scottish Palestinian health collaborators, starting with those attending the first meeting, their suggested colleagues and contacts, beginning with this note of the first meeting and asking if they wish to be kept in touch.
- To produce an electronic newsletter, twice a year, edited by GW. MAP’s volunteer newsletter may provide a template. The first newsletter will include narrative accounts and reflections on recent Scottish Palestinian health collaborations (e.g. nursing oncology, child psychology, breast cancer), indicating what has been learned from their experience (i.e. not only what works, but what didn’t work, and why). There could also be contributions from MAP and PalMed on Scottish Palestinian health collaboration.
- To hold a first open meeting, possibly in conjunction with an event that MAP is planning for autumn 2020
- To host a meeting involving Palestinian health professionals and researchers studying in Scotland. Ihab Saleh offered to help in identifying potential participants.
- To brief the Scottish Government on the establishment, aims and activities of the SPHF (via Karry Chalmers, the civil servant leading the Scottish Government’s Global Health Strategy)
- Saleem Haj-Yahiah to circulate details of his suggestions concerning donations during Ramadan to support orphan medical students; and also whether colleagues could support Palestinian medical students on one month hospital electives in Scotland.
- To review progress at the end of 2020
The Covid Pandemic then intervened, so that SPHF activity was restricted to the six monthly production of a newsletter sharing individual experiences and views., with 8 Newsletters produced between June 2020 and December 2023.
June, 2023
Three years after the inaugural meeting of the SPHF at the Ox and Finch restaurant in Glasgow in 2020, a second meeting was held on the morning of 3rd June 2023 at the Common Ground, a refugee facility next to the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.
Following presentations by Gerry O’Hare, Majdi Ashour and Graham Watt there was a general discussion followed by a culturally appropriate lunch.
SPHP group photo at the second meeting, June 2023
Attending, clockwise from front left
- Gerry O’Hare, senior cancer nurse, Vale of Leven Hospital
- Majdi Ashour, PhD student University of Edinburgh
Les Scarth retired child psychiatrist - Graham Bryce, retired child psychiatrist
- Roddy O’Kane, neurosurgeon, Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow
- Roseann Maguire, research associate, University of Glasgow; host to visiting Palestinian health workers
- Abdulla Alhasso, clinical oncologist, Beatson Oncology Centre
- Ahmed Alani, colorectal surgeon, QEUH
Ali Hamad, medical student, University of Glasgow- David Sedgwick, retired surgeon, Belford Hospital, Fort William
- Jala Rizeq, lecturer in clinical psychology, University of Glasgow
- Hamish Mcleod, professor of clinical psychology, University of Glasgow
Apologies
Philippa Whitford , Lesley Morrison, Jane Macaskill, Bashir Oudeh, Janet Litherland, Ishaq Abu Arafeh, Alison Phipps, Gavin Francis, Ruth McKee, Mhoira Leng, Annette McCulloch, Jonathan Hicks , Luise Yax Valle
An informative and convivial time was had by all, and it was agreed to hold a similar meeting before the end of the year.
November, 2023
In addition to the main business of the meeting, the group was joined for the last half hour by Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK (centre in the above picture), who was visiting Edinburgh and Glasgow for a meeting with the First Minister and a speech at Glasgow Green at the end of a pro-Palestinian march.
Group photo at the third SPHP meeting with Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK
Attending
Ishaq Abu-Arafeh (last half hour), Mo Alazraq, Abdulla Alhasso, Majdy Ashour, Graham and Ann Bryce, Colin Cooper , Ali Hamad, Ruth McKee, Mhoira Leng, Janet Litherland, Gerry O’Hare, Liam O’Hare, Roddy O’Kane, David Sedgwick, Lama Shakhshir, Ashwini Sharma (by Zoom from Edinburgh), Graham Watt, Philippa Whitford (by Zoom from Troon), Suha Ghoul (by Zoom from Amman)
Notes
- The identity and purpose of the SPHF should be described in a concise statement for general use.
- While the SPH “Faculty” is an informal network with many participants, setting up a Core Group will allow the SPHF to be more proactive collectively.
- The Core Group will comprise doctors, nurses and researchers whose individual and collective authority is based on experience of collaborative work with Palestinian colleagues in Gaza, the West Bank or Lebanon.
- Membership of the Core Group will be on an individual basis without reference to employer institutions and allowing freedom of expression.
- The Group’s advocacy will be based on the premise that all people, especially Palestinians and Israelis, have the same human rights and protections.
- No statement or activity will be undertaken on behalf of the Core Group without the agreement of the Core Group.
- A Whatsapp group will be set up to aid communication
- A website may be set up to provide an accessible place and weblinks for the core statement, pen pictures (and perhaps videos) of the Core Group, SPHF newsletters and other relevant documentation
- Given the power of personal narratives, the next (8th) edition of the SPHF Newsletter in December 2023 will include personal accounts of what is happening in Gaza
- The destruction of hospitals, clinics, schools, houses and other infrastructure has transformed the situation in Gaza so that new thinking is needed to determine the sorts of help that will be required in the immediate and medium term futures (the “Day After” scenario).
- The Core Group will collaborate with similar bodies of health care workers supporting Palestinians in the UK and charitable organisations supporting health care in Palestine.
- The experience of the Group in productive long term partnership working will be relevant to the types of support for health and health care development that the SPHF can provide.
- The Group will seek support from Scotland’s First Minister in addressing Gaza’s health needs including action by Government, NHS organisations and Universities. Draft letters will be prepared for sending to the First Minister and the Chief Executive of Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board.
- We shall call for Scotland’s International Development Programme to include Palestine as a fifth target country, in addition to Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia and Pakistan.
- Emergency Government funding may also be available, following the example of support provided for Ukraine.
- In addition to the emergency situation in Gaza, the Group is concerned about escalating violence in the West Bank and the vulnerable situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
- Advocacy is needed to preserve Gaza’s two remaining major hospitals – the Gaza European Hospital and Nasser Hospital in South Gaza.
- The establishment of the Runa Mackay Legacy Fund at Edinburgh University provides a potential source of support for a SPHF Conference in 2024.
Additional note
Subsequent to the meeting, Mhoira Leng, Gerry O’Hare, Abdulla Alhasso, Roddy O’Kane and Graham Watt met Ibrahim Kharda (Palestinian Representative in Scotland with regular contact with the First Minister and his advisors) to discuss a proposal to be put to the First Minister.
A meeting with the First Minister has not taken place, but the group met with The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Michael Mathieson at the Scottish Parliament on 31st January 2024, following which it was decided to re-configure the SPHF as the Scottish Palestinian Health Partnership with a new emphasis on joint action.
