SDC Delegation visits GCMHP

A delegation from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation visited on Wednesday, 16 December, 2020, Gaza Community Mental health Programme to be briefed on the Programme’s interventions and work mechanisms during the emergency situation of Covid-19 pestilence which has widely spread in the Gaza Strip.

The delegation, which included Mr Thomas Jenatsch, Deputy Director of SDC, and Mr Hussam Manna, Senior Programme Manager of the SDC office in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, was received by Dr Mohammad Abu Shahla, Head of BoDs; Dr Yassir Abu Jamei, Director General; Mr Qusai Abu Odei, Director of External Relations and Resource Development; Mr Issa Nahal, the treasurer; and Ms Rawya Hamam, Director of Training and Scientific Research Department.

The delegation was taken in a tour in the Programme’s facilities to see the actual work of the teams under the emergency situation.

Afterwards, the delegation sat with GCMHP management to the listen to the briefing on the latest development of the mental health situation in the Gaza Strip in the shadow of the pandemic and how the services have been adapted to match the new needs.

Dr Abu Shahla explained how the pandemic deepened the negative impact of the political and economic challenges, resulting in more psychosocial problems that affected the whole society, not least the vulnerable.   

Dr Abu Jamei, on his part, made a presentation on the procedures that GCMHP took to overcome the huge challenges that resulted from the compound issue of the political; blockade and the pandemic, providing examples about the types of interventions made and the mechanisms used.

Ms Hamam, also talked about GCMHP interventions with children, explaining that the psychological challenges they face have become more prominent  recently. In addition she made a comparison between the situation before after Covid-19.

At the end of meeting, Dr Abu Shahla thanked the SDC delegation for their support for GCMHP in providing services to the Palestinian community.