Paris, 3 June 2026
As Palestinian healthcare systems face constant pressure, with numerous attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel reported in recent years, the medical NGO Mehad announces the launch of the AMANE Project (Advancing Emergency Medicine at An-Najah through Education), with the support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem.
This pioneering project aims to develop advanced university-level emergency medicine education at An-Najah University in Nablus, West Bank.
The urgent need for appropriate training in a healthcare system under pressure
In the Palestinian territories, particularly in the northern West Bank, hospital services are often overwhelmed and weakened by restrictions on access to care. According to an analysis
published by the World Health Organization (WHO Health Cluster) on February 25, 2025, between October 2023 and February 2025, 912 deaths and more than 7,400 injuries were
recorded in the West Bank.
Hospitals regularly operate at around 70% of their capacity, strained by restrictions on access to healthcare, delayed arrival of emergency patients, and the insecurity faced by
medical personnel. According to WHO, more than 1,950 attacks against the healthcare sector have been recorded in Palestine since October 7, 2023, including 739 in the West
Bank over a 15-month period.
In this context, emergency medicine training remains critically insufficient. There is currently only one emergency medicine residency programme in Palestine, located in Ramallah,
established five years ago and training fewer than ten physicians per year. Only one qualified faculty member was identified in 2024.
Despite urgent needs, emergency medicine education remains poorly structured from an academic perspective across the Palestinian territories. Most practitioners working in emergency departments are not specialists and lack certification in essential life-saving protocols such as trauma care and resuscitation.
Faced with this situation, the project partners share a strong conviction: medical excellence should not be reserved for stable and privileged regions.
“ Our conviction is clear: medical excellence must be possible everywhere, especially where populations are most at risk,” emphasizes Mego Terzian, Chief Executive Officer of Mehad.
An-Najah University, the leading medical training institution in the northern West Bank, has expressed the need to develop a structured emergency medicine curriculum in cooperation with French academic and medical partners. The programme seeks to address a major healthcare challenge: improving the management of trauma patients.
“ Faced with hospital overcrowding and the complexity of access to healthcare, it is vital to equip Palestinian healthcare workers with the most advanced skills. Emergency ultrasound is
a perfect example: it enables the diagnosis and management of a life-threatening emergency in less than three minutes, without requiring extensive diagnostic tests. In a conflict setting where every second counts, this technique saves many lives,” explains Dr. Pierre Catoire, Medical Coordinator of Mehad and Programme Lead.
The AMANE project: building medical excellence where it is most needed
Supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and led by the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem, the AMANE Project brings together NGOs, universities, Palestinian health authorities and French partners.
The project has one central objective: to contribute to improving emergency medical care in Palestine by strengthening the educational capacities of An-Najah University in Nablus.
The AMANE Project will directly benefit 454 participants, including:
– 400 medical students in the clinical years at An-Najah University (50% women), who will follow newly developed modules;
– 48 healthcare professionals, students and graduates trained in emergency ultrasound;
– 6 faculty members who will receive advanced training in medical education and teaching sciences.
The AMANE Project will be implemented through six strategic components designed to establish the foundations of a sustainable curriculum:
- Training in the fundamentals of emergency medicine
Development of a new module combining theoretical instruction with simulation-based practical workshops for all medical students. - Introduction of emergency ultrasound
Deployment of emergency ultrasound training programmes and provision of two ultra-portable ultrasound devices. - Faculty development
Training faculty members from the An-Najah Faculty of Medicine in higher education teaching methods and educational sciences to strengthen supervision and mentoring capacities. - Development of a specialization diploma in emergency medicine
Design and implementation of a postgraduate diploma programme in emergency medicine, scheduled to launch in the 2026 academic year. - Student exchange programme
Creation of exchange opportunities between An-Najah University students and French universities. - Strengthening An-Najah University’s international academic network
Expansion of partnerships and academic cooperation with international institutions.
