The International Department of Public Relations – Gaza

Israa University- Gaza launched the activities of the international scientific conference entitled "New directions for better health" on Monday, at Al Salam Hotel Abu Hassira. The conference was held in the presence of Dr. Adnan Al-Hajjar (University President), Dr. Riyad Al-Zaanoun (former Minister of Health), Dr. Faisal Abu Shehla (Legislative Council Deputy), and Dr. Taleb Abu Maalah (Conference President); with the participation of experts and specialists in health professions in addition to a wide range of official, health, educational, civil and private institutions.

The Chairman of the Information Committee at the Conference, Mr. Ehab Abu Al-Khair, welcomed the attendance, stressing that the University has always keened to continue efforts to improve the reality of scientific research, believing that it was the true woman to develop and promote societies.

The University President, Dr Al-Hajjar, has been striving since its inception to promote scientific research, provide its financial and logistical requirements, and disseminate research work at the local and international levels, thus meeting the national aspirations to lead scientific research at the regional and international levels.

The conference also seeks to address the Palestinian health situation and the challenges imposed by the policies and practices of the occupation authorities and its unjust blockade imposed on Gaza Strip since 13 years, which prevented the Palestinian citizen from enjoying his health rights, which were imposed by the international human rights standards.

He pointed out that Gaza Strip suffers from a deterioration in health care due to the inability of diagnosis and treatment possibilities especially for those suffering chronic diseases from cancer, kidney failure and heart failure; in addition to, the difficulties patients face in getting their right to treatment in western, Jerusalem and inside hospitals as a result of the obstacles set by the occupation. Each year, many of the pathological cases die.

The conference, in turn, is based on the League's belief that the progress of civilizations and societies is linked to the extent of human dependence on scientific research, independence and conclusion, and to the use of mental and physical energies. Abu Maalah added that it is the societies that advanced the path of civilization that managed to employ the scientific research on the widest scale and subject the phenomena and problems to study, analyze and follow the proper planning and decision.

The conference dealt with the themes of nursing, public health and laboratory medicine, and sought to highlight many health problems in various fields, and with new approaches based on scientific research as a curriculum and method, which helped to develop solutions and recommendations for many health problems.

He pointed out that the conference reached more than 120 scientific researches for participation, 43 of which were filtered after being checked and presented to two judges of the best specialists, as it will be published in the magazine of Israa University-Gaza.

In addition, the former Minister of Health, Dr. Riyad Al-Zaanoun, appreciated the establishment of Israa University-Gaza for this conference, which starts at the heart of the continuous Israeli siege on Gaza to make its way from a young university that aspires to the world in its conferences to improve the reality of scientific research and to distinguish in the curricula that meet the needs of the Palestinian society, especially in the health field.

He appreciated the efforts of Israa University-Gaza to find realistic solutions capable of promoting and developing the health sector through the establishment of laboratories and scientific centers, and the focus on specialized nursing in chronic diseases such as cancer, renal failure, and others. He added: I congratulate Palestine on this bright new light and I am confident that Israa University will help in providing advanced health services to the Palestinian citizen.

Dr. Abu Shehla, a deputy in the Legislative Council, stressed the importance of the interrelationship between the theoretical and scientific applications in the curricula in Palestinian universities. Abu Shehla said the organization of Israa University-Gaza for nine scientific conferences since its foundation shows its coming trend toward the advancement of scientific research and investment in man, pointing to the Palestinian society that needs to be glorified and raise the value of science under the reality it lives under the Israeli occupation.

He also stressed the importance of exerting more attention in the field of scientific research and scientists, as it is considered a main beacon for changing reality and realizing the Palestinian people's dreams, by keeping up with civilizations and development, especially as our people are unjust in the scientific field by not giving them an opportunity to produce researches and document the crimes that expose the Israeli occupation and expose its crimes before the world. Therefore, he repeatedly called for the necessity of continuing to move toward scientific research to reach the world and better health of the Palestinian society and the world.

All in all, this conference comes as a result of the attempt of Israa University-Gaza to produce a qualitative conference that will improve the scientific research in the local community and university through discussing the latest studies, practices, and experiments in the field of health professions, and the conference aims at exchanging scientific ideas and ideas with professional institutions, which allow the representatives of different countries and regions to communicate without borders in order to meet University's vision and interest in scientific research.