128. Smith, C., Barghouthi, M., Daibes, I. and Shbayta, A. The West Bank Rural PHC Survey. Interim Report 1: The Jenin Area. Ramallah: The Health Development Information Project, 1990: 46 pp.

The report comprises the first part of a survey of PHC services and facilities in the Occupied Territories. The principal goal of the survey is to provide information about the Palestinian PHC sector to improve planning, coordination and development.

Basic background information about the rural communities of the Jenin district is presented including population size, water and sanitation facilities, electricity supply and transportation services. Concerning health services distribution, the numbers of each type of clinic and PHC facility are presented. The services that the clinics provided are also presented in detail. A special section is dedicated to health manpower in the rural communities of the district. Some information about health services in Jenin town are outlined in the appendix.

The total rural population of the district was about 196,000 persons living in 70 communities. The public services in the district were far from being adequate; 23% of the population had 24-hour electricity and 30% of the communities had telephones. Ninety-nine rural clinics were identified and surveyed. In general the services that were provided by the clinics were poor and reflect poor planning and coordination between the PHC institutions. Thirty-eight percent of the rural clinics lacked soap and towels and 27% did not have sinks.

The main characteristic of this report is that it is solely based on field investigation where every community and every clinic were visited and assessed. Based on the field investigation, the authors outline a system for better PHC services distribution based on maximizing accessibility to services.