For people in the West Bank and Gaza, accessing healthcare services can be extremely frustrating and
difficult. Palestinian healthcare professionals are educated, caring, and highly dedicated, but their work
is often hindered by movement restrictions and infrastructure shortages within the Palestinian
Territories. The difficult conditions in which many people live make it hard for them to access the care
they need when they need it (The World Bank reports a poverty level of 26 percent in the region, along with an unemployment rate of 15 percent in the West Bank and 47 percent in Gaza).

Obstacles to medical care such as lack of reliable electricity, equipment and supplies are compounded
by the simple fact that there are not enough specialists, particularly in fields of medicine where
advanced training is very limited. Palestinian doctors often travel to Europe or the US for their
advanced training and do not always return to Palestine once they complete their program.

This is why 29-year-old Jenin resident, Dr. Fidaa Amour, is training as a
Diagnostic Radiologist. Dr. Amour earned her medical degree at An-Najah
National University in Nablus, West Bank. After graduation, Dr. Amour began
exploring options for specialization, and chose Diagnostic Radiology based
both on her personal interest and the great need of her community in Jenin.

Dr. Amour was one of a few hundred Palestinian doctors permitted to cross
into Israel from the West Bank when she began her advanced training next
door in Nazareth, Israel, at the Nazareth Hospital. She completed her
advanced training program in radiology at the Nazareth Hospital in Nazareth
and Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

Nazareth Hospital’s specialization training program for West Bank doctors helps address the medical
specialist shortage in the Palestinian Territories. After completing her advanced training requirements
in December of 2022, Dr. Amour successfully passed Board Certification in Diagnostic Radiology with
the Palestinian Authority. During the four-year program, Dr. Amour learned all the necessary and
required modalities of her specialty, including ultrasound techniques, CT, and MRI. She now plans to
work in her home city of Jenin and focus on the sub-specialty of breast imaging.

Citing the lack of female physicians in the Palestinian territories who specialize in Breast radiology for
diagnosis, Dr. Amour writes, “I hope to provide this service to my community even at a small level and
fill the gap. I hope to be successful in achieving my goal. I am very grateful to the Nazareth Hospital for
the professional support they are providing me and all the coordination for the sub-specialty is being
provided by the Nazareth Hospital in order to help me achieve my goal. I hope that I will be able to fill
in the gap for a much needed service and expertise in my community in the Palestinian Territories.”

Currently, four other young West Bank physicians are beginning their training at Nazareth Hospital. NPI
is raising support for these four doctors, three come from Hebron District and one from Tulkarm. They
hope to bring back with them advanced skills in the following areas: Bariatric surgery, Emergency
Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Radiology. You can read their bios on our website.

We hope to raise $1,000 per month for each of these four doctors— reaching a total of $70,000 over the next two years. This will cover the majority of the cost to participate in the program. (online contributions can be made here).

Among West Bank doctors, Nazareth Hospital in Nazareth, Israel has earned a reputation as a warm and encouraging learning environment with high-quality teaching. Because it is close to the West Bank, Nazareth Hospital draws those who wish to return to their communities and provide much-needed services. Addressing the shortage of specialists in the West Bank will help to ensure that patients seeking care will not have to travel across multiple military checkpoints or face unacceptable, life-threatening delays to access care. We are pleased these qualified physicians have chosen Nazareth Hospital for their advanced training, and welcome the opportunity to support the provision of much-needed specialty medical services in the West Bank.

The Nazareth Project is the primary US partner of the Nazareth Trust, an organization dedicated to
serving the population of the Middle East and the wider world through healthcare, education,
proclamation, and service. Our work and mission are rooted in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth,
though we are committed to serving all peoples, regardless of faith, political affiliation, or tradition.
The offerings of the Trust include the Nazareth Hospital and the Nazareth Academic School of
Nursing, as well as Nazareth Village and the SERVE Nazareth program, both of which allow patients,
students, volunteers, pilgrims, and tourists to deepen their relationship with God and one another.
Contact us today for more information on our programs, or consider donating to support our work.