Lutherans in Canada support first geriatric care centre in West Bank

April 24, 2008- The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) are contributing $632,000 to improve access to essential health care in the Palestinian Territories. The much-needed funding will be directed to the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in East Jerusalem, the only institution offering specialized medical services like cancer treatment and dialysis to Palestinians.

Assistance from CIDA and CLWR will be directed through the Lutheran World Federation's Department for World Service, the CLWR partner that oversees the institution. The official briefing will be delivered by CLWR Executive Director Mr. Robert Granke on Monday April 28th, 11:30 a.m. at Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem. Mr. Granke's perspective as a Canadian includes 27 years of special interest and leadership concerning the barriers to health care access for Palestinian residents.

Attending with Mr. Granke at the briefing will be Dr. Tawfiq Nasser, Augusta Victoria Hospital CEO, representatives from the Canadian Mission in Ramallah and The Rev. Bishop Munib A. Younan, the Palestinian Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

Funding will be used to increase access to quality health services for elderly Palestinians in need by enlarging the capacity of Augusta Victoria Hospital's geriatric care ward from a 16-bed unit into a 28-bed unit. Plans to expand and refurbish the existing space are complete. Construction will commence immediately. Work will be carried out by local trades. The project timeline anticipates December 2008 completion.

For additional background information on this project visit: http://www.clwr.org/AVH