Medical Aid for Palestinians
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(44 years ago) | |
| Established | 1982 (44 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Founders | Derek Cooper, Pamela Cooper |
| Headquarters | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Chairpersons | Patricia Morris, Baroness Morris of Bolton |
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is a British charity[1] that offers medical services in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon, and advocates for Palestinians' rights to health and dignity.[2] It is in special consultative status with ECOSOC since 2002.[3]
Medical Aid for Palestinians' stated aim is to meet the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. The organization and its programmes have been supported by the British public, the UK Government (DfID), the European Union and international aid organizations. They deliver basic health and medical care to Palestinian refugees and they strive to establish permanent medical infrastructure in Palestinian communities by training health care practitioners, teaching medical vocational skills and addressing the requirements of particularly vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities.
MAP was founded in 1982 by Dr Ang Swee Chai, Major Derek Cooper, and his wife, Mrs Pamela Cooper,[4] in the wake of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon.[5] Its president is Baroness Morris of Bolton who succeeded Chris Patten and Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws.
In July 2023, due to a reported increase in "attacks on healthcare workers and ambulances by Israeli forces and settlers", MAP diverted from its usual strategy of providing healthcare to supplying bulletproof vests and helmets for the protection of Palestinian health workers.[6] Later that year, in response to the Gaza war, the organisation launched an emergency appeal to provide essential healthcare and medical aid in Gaza.[7] The appeal was supported by London mayor Sadiq Khan.[8][9]
In 2024, an auction, Cinema for Gaza, was organised for MAP, raising over $52,000 on the first day.[10] It included donations from Tilda Swinton, Brian Cox, Ken Loach, Joanna Hogg, Mike Leigh, Ramy Youssef, Maxine Peake, Frankie Boyle, Aisling Bea, Aimee Lou Wood, Peter Capaldi, Karen Gillan and more.[11] The auction, which started on April 2, would end on April 12.[12]