Since 1999, the UK's Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has been working to establish a sustainable teaching programme in child health in the occupied Palestinian territory. The aim was and is to upgrade the knowledge and skills of doctors and nurses who work with children. The issues are discussed in a Comment which accompanies The Lancet Series on Health in The Occupied Palestinian Territory, RCPCH President Dr Patricia Hamilton, and Dr Anthony Waterston, RCPCH and Newcastle University, UK, and colleagues.

They conclude: "The current situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is damaging to child health because it impedes access and disrupts the social network which is necessary for child wellbeing, especially in the rural community. In Gaza, the situation is particularly perilous and we have no programme there at present, even though it was the initial focus for our work. We hope to start teaching in Gaza as soon as it is possible to enter and travel safely. As an organisation which sees children's rights as fundamental to child health, the RCPCH will advocate for measures that will allow children everywhere to attend school without fear, live in economic security, have access to a high standard of health care, and be free from the effects of violence."

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The Lancet