The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has provided health, education, and welfare services since 1949. A team of physicians from Georgetown University visited UNRWA Health Centers and refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, as well as some affiliated hospitals. Living conditions of refugees vary widely. In Jordan and the West Bank, fewer than one third live in camps, whereas in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, conditions are more crowded. Effective programs for health education, maternal and child health, and immunization have markedly improved the health of the refugees over the years of UNRWA's operation. The general health of the population is good, primarily as a result of wise emphasis on public health and preventive medicine measures., In 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations established the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees (UNRPR) agency to coordinate relief activities among refugees from the Arab–Israeli conflict. In 1949 the General Assembly replaced UNRPR with UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). Although UNRWA was conceived to deal with problems of limited duration, its mandate has been extended on 14 occasions. Since then, the activities of UNRWA have changed from that of a relief agency to a quasi-governmental operation providing health, education, and welfare services to “registered refugees.” 1 , 2 Registered refugees include… © 1986, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

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