A poll of Palestinian Authority Arabs said that the vast majority never experienced any problem when seeking medical help because they were prevented from passing through IDF roadblocks. A host of international groups, such as the Doctors Without Borders group – one of whose employees was arrested recently for plotting to kill Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert – have accused Israel of exacerbating health problems for PA Arabs by preventing them from receiving treatment by holding them up for hours at the checkpoints.
But the poll, conducted by a professional PA polling group, showed that in actuality, the checkpoint issue had a negligible impact on Arabs seeking health care. 25% of those polled who said they had been denied treatment for health problems cited the high cost of medical care as the main problem. Other major reasons cited were long waiting times (23%) and a lack of qualified personnel in PA health facilities (17%). Only 6% said they were held back for a significant period by a checkpoint.
But the poll, conducted by a professional PA polling group, showed that in actuality, the checkpoint issue had a negligible impact on Arabs seeking health care. 25% of those polled who said they had been denied treatment for health problems cited the high cost of medical care as the main problem. Other major reasons cited were long waiting times (23%) and a lack of qualified personnel in PA health facilities (17%). Only 6% said they were held back for a significant period by a checkpoint.