Press Release: First payments to Palestinian health workers under Temporary International Mechanism

During her visit to Gaza on 27 July 2006, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner announced that the European Commission is making its first social allowance payments to Palestinian doctors and nurses. Along with other public sector workers, doctors and nurses have only been paid broadly one month's salary over the last five months. The allowances from the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) will not match the level of their regular salaries but will enable health workers to carry on performing an essential service that benefits the whole population. Their salaries have not been paid due to the financial crisis in the Palestinian authority. This is a further action under the TIM following on from the European Commission's support to provide deliveries of fuel to for hospital generators, water pumps and water treatment plants following the destruction by the Israel Defence Force of 6 transformers of the Gaza Power Plant. The delivery of fuel has allowed the continued provision of essential health services to over 90,000 patients and access to water for some 1.2 million people in Gaza.