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Palestine National Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Treatment Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Health has designated the "National Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Treatment Center" built in Bethlehem by the Republic of Korea government through KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) in 2019 as a hospital for treating COVID-19 confirmed patients. This is the first time the Palestinian government has designated an official hospital for COVID-19 response and patient treatment.

As of the 11th, there are a total of 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Palestine, of which 29 occurred in Bethlehem. As the number of confirmed cases increased, the Palestinian government blocked entry and exit to Bethlehem from the 6th and declared a national emergency. Accordingly, all schools from kindergartens to elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as universities in the West Bank of Palestine, have been closed, and all intercity travel is being controlled.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the risk level of COVID-19 spread in Palestine is classified as "very high." Especially Bethlehem, where the majority of confirmed patients have occurred and the entire city is locked down, is in urgent need of securing emergency medical facilities to prevent further spread and infection of COVID-19.

Shin Yoo-seung, head of the KOICA Palestine office, said, "It is very rewarding and fortunate that the medical facility built through KOICA in Palestine, where medical infrastructure is weak, is being used as the only COVID-19 treatment center by the Palestinian government," and emphasized, "We will continue to actively support the Palestinian government's COVID-19 prevention and response activities."

The Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Treatment Center, designated by the Palestinian government as a COVID-19 response hospital this time, is the first public drug addiction rehabilitation treatment center in Palestine, built with a total of $5 million in support from KOICA from 2013 to 2018, with three floors and a total floor area of 3,500㎡. It was built to treat the rapidly increasing number of drug addicts in the region due to the prolonged Palestine-Israel conflict.

Nasser Tarifi, Director of the Drug Prevention Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Health, who proposed utilizing the Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Treatment Center as a COVID-19 base hospital, said, "This center, completed relatively recently in January 2019, is equipped with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and oxygen supply devices, and can isolate and treat patients individually, making it an optimal facility for COVID-19 response," adding, "We express our gratitude to KOICA for supporting modern medical facilities in Bethlehem."

A representative of the Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Treatment Center stated, "Among the 29 confirmed cases in Bethlehem, one patient was transferred on the morning of the 10th due to respiratory distress and is currently being treated, while the remaining 28 are asymptomatic and are isolated in a city hotel." The 14 existing inpatients have been temporarily transferred to nearby medical institutions.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has expanded the center to accommodate and treat about 100 confirmed COVID-19 patients by installing an additional 4 intensive care units and 48 isolation beds in addition to the 52 beds supported by KOICA during the construction of the Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Treatment Center.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.