Strengthening Ibn Sina College in Nablus

The ongoing conflict and the severe deterioration of the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the Palestinian territories have placed unprecedented pressure on the health system, making the training and retention of qualified health professionals a key priority for preserving the health system’s capacity and strengthening its resilience over the medium and long term. Beyond the current crisis, Palestine is undergoing a demographic and epidemiological transition, marked by rising life expectancy, declining maternal and infant mortality, and a sharp rise in non-communicable diseases, now responsible for more than half of all deaths. These trends are generating growing demand for health professionals and specialized skills. The number of nurses and midwives is expected to remain insufficient in the coming years to meet the growing demand for care. With 25.7 nurses and midwives per 10,000 inhabitants, Palestine remains well below the target of 39 established under the Sustainable Development Goals. There are also significant shortages of trained professionals in a number of specialties, including oncology, pediatric surgery and neonatology.

There are 23 institutions in Palestine accredited to provide training for nurses and midwives. Among them, Ibn Sina College (ISC) is the only public institution and offers affordable tuition fees. It is also the only public institution providing continuing education for health professionals in Palestine. Under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), ISC is currently housed in temporary premises in Nablus that do not adequately meet its needs or support its long-term development.

With an indicative duration of five years, the project aims to sustainably strengthen the training capacity for health professionals in Palestine.

It will finance the construction and equipping of a new building for ISC (Component 1), located on the campus of the new Nablus University for Vocational and Technical Education (NU-VTE).

The project will also support ISC in strengthening and diversifying its training offer and developing its academic strategy, in particular through partnerships with training and higher education institutions in Palestine and internationally (Component 2).

It will also strengthen the capacities of ISC and MEHE in areas including project management, gender equality, eco-design and energy efficiency.

Through these activities, the project will contribute to sustainably improving the quality of health professional training and better responding to the growing needs of the Palestinian health system.

Given its expertise in the training of nurses and midwives, the French Red Cross (FRC) will provide technical assistance to MEHE under Component 2, which focuses primarily on strengthening the College’s training offer: development of the academic offer, implementation of a digital strategy, development of international partnerships, capacity building for MEHE and ISC on gender equality, and project communication. This component, implemented by the FRC, has a total budget of €3 million

MEHE will be responsible for the implementation of Component 1, covering the construction and equipping of the future College. This component has a budget of €11.58 million.

In response to the growing health needs in the Palestinian territories, the project aims to improve the quality of care by strengthening the training and skills of health professionals. Its specific objectives are to: (i) develop initial and continuing training for nurses, midwives and other health professionals, adapted to the health needs of the Palestinian population, including the introduction of six specializations and the development of a Master’s degree programme; (ii) construct a sustainable and inclusive building adapted to ISC’s current and future needs; and (iii) integrate gender equality into ISC’s governance and training offer.

The structural reduction of inequalities between women and men is a cross-cutting objective of the project. The project is classified as OECD DAC gender marker 2 and will benefit from a Gender Action Plan. The new building will be certified according to a Palestinian environmental standard equivalent to LEED Silver. It will incorporate natural ventilation, seek to reduce resource consumption (water, materials and energy), and promote the use of renewable energy. The project’s climate co-benefits are estimated at 74%.