Friday, March 11, 2011

Palestinian Refugees Protest in Lebanon

Angered Relatives Close UNRWA Clinic after Death of Refugee Child

Palestinians angered at the preventable death of Mohammed Nabeeh Taha, 11, have closed the UNRWA clinic inside the Wadi al-Halwa refugee camp in Lebanon.

Ahlul Bayt News Agency
Friday, March 11 2011

SIDON - Palestinians angered at the preventable death of Mohammed Nabeeh Taha, 11,  have closed the UNRWA clinic inside the Wadi al-Halwa refugee camp in Lebanon.

They took to the streets alongside local Palestinian forces holding the child's body protesting the recent marked decline in services the UN Relief Works Agency has been providing to Palestinians made refugees as a result of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

”We no longer want UNRWA. We want an insurance company to insure our children, families and women,” said one of the deceased's relatives Mahmoud Rayeh.

”They refused to provide just oxygen so that he died in the ambulance.”

The deceased had been suffering from an oxygen deficiency in the brain which had impaired him semi-permanently and required constant treatment. He was hospitalized in Sidon two weeks ago after UNRWA intervened to cover part of the medical costs when the Red Cross's Al-Hamshari hospital failed to produce the proper treatment. He was then forced to leave when his parents were unable to borrow enough money to cover the remaining costs and then died in his parents arms after he was ambulanced when his condition had reappeared.

He was taken to a private hospital in Sidon but was refused entry, the deceased's father told the Lebanese Al Mustaqbal newspaper.

”They told us he must be covered by UNRWA. When we arrived at the emergency ward, they told us they want $1,000 insurance. But that amount wasn't available.”

After UNRWA volunteers intervened he was put in intensive care for 14 days, he went on to say. ”The doctor told us that UNRWA would cover only two days out of 13 million Lebanese pounds.”

After pressure, UNRWA agreed to cover 10 days, but he said he couldn't pay for the rest and his son died at the hospital doors in the ambulance.

Lebanon is seeing more and more protests against the sharp decline in services UNRWA has been providing to Palestinian refugees.

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