The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced the release of a new innovative tool called the ‘Your Health with UNRWA’ mobile application.

Featuring an Arabic language interface, it is now available for download and use by smart phones users among Palestine refugees and the general public.

The UNRWA Department of Health developed an awareness booklet for non-communicable diseases (NCD) for use by NCD patients in 2017. The new mobile application is based on lessons learned from the guide and in cooperation with the UNRWA Information Management & Technology Department and with financial support from the Government of Japan and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) in Denmark, an electronic version of its NCD booklet that is being launched today.

The Director of the UNRWA Department of Health, Dr. Akihiro Seita, said: “Today, we celebrate this achievement with our external partners in the Government of Japan and WDF, and our internal partners from different UNRWA departments and programmes both at headquarters and at fields levels”.

“This mobile phone application is very unique in its content that supports NCD patients in their efforts to control their conditions, and for non-NCD users who can monitor their health status to prevent the development of an NCD in the future. Moreover, it is designed to be used by any user in the world who speaks Arabic”, he added.

This application is supported by a designated website and it allows NCD patients registered at UNRWA health centres to access their electronic health records in real time through the UNRWA e-Health system. Health awareness materials on the app are accessible to the Arabic speaking public all over the world.

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.6 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.