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Non-functional
St. John's Eye Hospital
Facility Type
Speciality Hospital
Ownership type
NGO (
Galilean Order of St. John
)
Governorates / District
Gaza
Address
Al-Sabra neighborhood – Opposite the Islamic University gate
Founding Year
2016
Facility director
Walid Shaqura
Beds Capacity
0
Number of workers
45
List of medical specialties and services
Ophthalmology
Description (About the Facility)

St. John's Eye Hospital is a non-governmental hospital, the only and oldest provider of charitable eye care in the Middle East. Founded in Jerusalem in 1882, the hospital opened a clinic in Gaza City in 1992, which evolved into a hospital in 2016.

The number of medical staff at all St. John's hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank is 236, including 33 doctors and 84 nurses. In 2022, the number of staff in Gaza was 45, including 36 medical staff. The hospital has no overnight beds[1][2][3].

 

Funding Details
In 2005: 41% of St. John's Eye’s funding, $5.7 million came from donations and grants, 33% from hospital income, and 22% from convent funding.
In March 2020: St. John's Hospital in Gaza performed 3,020 eye surgeries as part of a $2 million Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) grant[4].

In July 2023: The QFFD signed an agreement to support St. John’s, a project that aims to reach 3,200 patients diagnosed at St. John's clinics and hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza[5].

Key donors in 2021 included: Taawon (Welfare Association), the Norwegian Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), International Medical Corps (IMC), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Juzoor for Health and Social Development, and the Palestine Children's Relief Society. Contributions in USD amounted to the following from each country: Australia: 160,000, Canada: 47,000, England and the Islands: 282,000, New Zealand: 168,000, Scotland: 168,000, the United States: 2,440,000[1].
Effect of siege (2007 - 2023)

In 2005: St. John's Hospital in Gaza upgraded the hospital by hiring an additional surgeon, increasing surgery days, and establishing a program of regular visits by optometrists from Jerusalem to provide care and training. The clinic was also upgraded with more modern equipment and, as a result, the hospital was able to increase the number of patients treated by 20% compared to 2004[6].

In 2015: The Big Heart Foundation launched a project with an estimated cost of $500,000, which lasted until September 30, 2016, in which the Big Heart Foundation covered all treatment costs for children receiving care at the hospital[7].

In 2016: The clinic in Gaza was upgraded to St. John's Hospital for Surgery and Ophthalmology. The hospital also launched a nursing training program with 14 nurses graduating[8][9].

In 2017: The level of operations in Gaza was upgraded with the introduction of diabetic retinopathy screening and a mobile clinic program was launched[10].

In 2018: Major surgeries increased by 36% at the hospital in Gaza[11].

In 2019: A second operating room was opened at the hospital[12].

In 2022: Medical equipment was installed at the hospital with support and funding from the Japanese government[13].

According to a 2010 World Health Organization report, Palestinians in Gaza in need of eye care suffered from the following issues: Limited diagnostic services: some of the equipment and expertise needed to diagnose certain eye conditions and measure corneal thickness was not available in the Gaza Strip; Limited surgical services: only one surgeon in the Gaza Strip was trained to perform intraocular surgeries, and waiting times for patients exceeded six months. The number of blind people in Palestine is ten times the number of blind people in the West; the rate of blindness in Palestine is 2.6%, and the rate in the Gaza Strip is 4% [14][12][2].

narrative during this war

St. John's Hospital was rendered out of service at the beginning of the aggression[15].

On December 4, 2023: The hospital reported that its building was still standing and had not been hit by direct aerial bombardment[16].

January 18, 2024: The hospital reported that its building was being used as a shelter for a number of displaced families, and that much of the medical equipment had been removed[17].

Sources
  1. St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group, Annual Report 2021.
  2. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Annual Report 2022.
  3. St. John's Eye Hospital Group,  Report.
  4. Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs,  Report.
  5. Doha News Website, Press report. 
  6. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Annual Report 2005.
  7. Relief Web News Portal, quoting Emirates News Agency (WAM), Press release .
  8. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Annual Report 2015.
  9. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Annual Report 2016.
  10. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Annual Report 2017.
  11. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Annual Report 2018.
  12. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Annual Report 2019.
  13. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Press release .
  14. World Health Organization, Annual Report 2010.
  15. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Article.
  16. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Article. 
  17. St. John's Eye Hospital Group, Article. 
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