West Bankers get some medical care

Screaming children will hide behind their mothers, elderly men will complain that they do not like the taste of their medicine -- and a poor village will get desperately needed medical relief.

Next door, Israeli citizens have access to some of the most sophisticated medical care in the world.

The Israeli ministry of health runs about 480 medical centers, with one doctor for every 200 people, one of the highest ratios in the world. Every Israeli citizen has access to a fund that will cover the cost of medical treatment, no matter how poor they are.

But for hundreds of thousands of poor Palestinian villagers, accessing treatment is a struggle.

According to the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), a specialized branch of the United Nations (UN) established specifically for Palestinian refugees, 46 percent of Palestinians do not have enough food, let alone the means to afford medical care.

"The biggest problem the villages face today is poverty," Dr. Habash said, as he drove his ambulance down a small, winding gravel road. "Many people have illnesses that are curable, they just need access to medical care."

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