Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS)

PMRS is a grassroots, non-profit, community-based Palestinian health organization founded in 1979 by Palestinian health professionals seeking to supplement the inadequate health infrastructure for which the government of Israel, as the Occupying Power, was responsible. Today it is one of the largest health NGOs in Palestine, with national health programs emphasizing prevention, education, community participation and empowerment, and response to the ongoing trauma of military occupation. PMRS operates 26 primary health care centers in the West bank and Gaza; most are located in rural or marginalized areas, and offer services in general medicine, child health, chronic disease, emergency care, women's health, dentistry, pharmacy and laboratory services. In addition, mobile medical teams facilitate access to health services in areas where the occupation restricts mobility of the population. Through its Community-Based Rehabilitation program, PMRS trains and supports community members, predominantly women, in a home-visiting approach, which includes as major goals the social integration and protection of human rights of disabled persons, while maximizing their independence and self-reliance, and changing community perceptions and attitudes toward persons with disability. PMRS Youth Centers help young people achieve self realization by advancing health, development, and social change as an alternative to violence; activities include first aid training, computer skills, civil defense, foreign language, photojournalism, music, dance, and theater. Health education is a core component of all of PMRS's community activities. PMRS actively collaborates and coordinates with other organizations, including the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations, the Palestinian NGO Network, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel.