Ramallah, 25 October 2026
Sharek Youth Forum, in partnership with the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN), has issued an urgent appeal to the Palestinian Prime Minister and the Minister of Health, calling for immediate government intervention to ensure the regular provision of dialysis sessions, secure essential medical supplies and medications, provide necessary laboratory tests, maintain dialysis equipment, and strengthen medical staffing in dialysis units across Palestinian hospitals.
The appeal comes as part of the Youth Campaign in Support of Kidney Failure Patients, implemented by Sharek Youth Forum in partnership with AMAN, in response to concerns and demands raised by patients and their families, as well as requests and follow-up cases received through the Integrity School, highlighting concerns about the continuity of treatment and the availability of essential medical supplies.
The appeal stresses that patients with kidney failure depend on regular and recurring dialysis sessions, and that any delay or reduction in the duration or number of sessions may expose them to serious health complications. It further emphasizes that ensuring continuity of treatment requires more than the availability of dialysis machines. It depends on an integrated system that provides medical consumables, medications, laboratory tests, regular equipment maintenance, qualified healthcare personnel, and reliable power supplies to ensure the safe operation of dialysis units.
The appeal also refers to the Ministry of Health's announcement in May 2026 regarding shortages of medicines, medical consumables, and laboratory testing materials, noting that kidney care and hemodialysis services were among the services most affected. In addition, local reports and patient complaints have highlighted ongoing challenges related to the availability of dialysis supplies and medications, equipment breakdowns, staff shortages, and the reported reduction of dialysis session durations in some healthcare facilities.
Sharek Youth Forum and AMAN call on the Palestinian Government and the Ministry of Health to take immediate and concrete measures, including:
Ensuring regular dialysis sessions: Guaranteeing that every patient receives the full duration and number of medically prescribed dialysis sessions on schedule, without reductions due to shortages of supplies, workload pressures, or equipment breakdowns.
Securing essential medical supplies: Ensuring adequate and continuous stocks of dialysis filters, bloodlines and tubing, vascular access needles, dialysis solutions, sodium bicarbonate, and other essential consumables, with regular stock monitoring to prevent shortages.
Providing essential medications: Ensuring uninterrupted access to essential medications for kidney failure patients, including treatments for anemia, such as erythropoietin and intravenous iron, as well as medications used to manage phosphorus and calcium levels, according to medical prescriptions and patients' needs.
Conducting an urgent assessment of needs and establishing a timeline: Carrying out a unified assessment of the needs of dialysis units across Palestinian hospitals, covering the number of patients, functioning and non-functioning machines, shortages of supplies, medications, laboratory tests, and healthcare personnel. A clear timeline should be established to address shortages at each hospital.
Maintaining equipment and expanding capacity: Repairing non-functioning dialysis machines, securing spare parts and technical materials, and strengthening the capacity of units to ensure that all patients can receive treatment at appropriate times.
Ensuring safe and uninterrupted operations: Providing water treatment supplies, electricity and alternative power sources, and conducting regular maintenance of dialysis machines and water treatment systems to ensure safe and continuous dialysis services.
Ensuring access to laboratory testing: Guaranteeing the availability of routine laboratory tests needed to monitor patients' health and adjust treatment, including blood tests and assessments of electrolytes, calcium, and phosphorus, in accordance with established medical protocols.
Strengthening medical and nursing teams: Ensuring that dialysis units have sufficient numbers of specialized physicians and trained nurses to monitor patients throughout their sessions and respond promptly to medical emergencies and complications.
Establishing clear communication and complaints mechanisms: Designating clear points of contact within the Ministry of Health and relevant hospitals to receive and follow up on complaints from patients and their families. Patients should be informed of treatment schedules, any necessary changes, and available alternatives for accessing services, while safeguarding their dignity and right to timely care without unnecessary confusion or delays.
Sharek Youth Forum and AMAN emphasize that these demands are fundamental requirements for protecting the lives of kidney failure patients and safeguarding their right to safe and regular treatment. They are not additional requests that can be postponed, given their direct impact on treatment continuity and patient safety.
Both organizations call on the Palestinian Government and the Ministry of Health to issue urgent instructions to the relevant authorities, take practical steps to address existing shortages, and provide Sharek Youth Forum and AMAN with an official response outlining the measures to be taken and the timeline for implementation. This would enable the campaign to monitor the response and communicate relevant updates to patients and their families.
The appeal forms part of the Youth Campaign in Support of Kidney Failure Patients, which seeks to amplify the voices of patients and their families, highlight the challenges they face in accessing treatment, and strengthen community accountability and responsiveness to their needs.
Sharek Youth Forum
In partnership with the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN)
Youth Campaign in Support of Kidney Failure Patients
25 October 2026