St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group

The St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group (SJEHG) has been developing its activity at the centre of three major world religions. The ongoing conflict in the region has had a severe impact on health care access and delivery.


Without the intervention of the SJEHG, the rate of blindness would be rampant, increasing the heavy economic burden already suffered by people in the region. The SJEHG continues to innovate through research on the causes and risk factors for eye issues unique to the region, training of eye care providers from the local population, and delivering state-of-the art services to even the most isolated and vulnerable people in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. The SJEHG is the only hospital specialised in eyecare in these areas, where it has been present for 140 years. Over the past decade, SJEHG has treated the eyesight of hundreds of thousands of people, regardless of ethnicity, religion, social class, or economic capacity. In 2022, 143,000 patients were reached, and 6,900 major surgeries were performed.

An epidemiological study carried out by SJEHG showed that the rate of blindness in Palestine is ten times higher than in the West. This is due to mobility issues, unemployment and poverty rates, as well as high levels of genetic eye diseases. In addition to providing health care, the SJEHG has trained teams of Palestinian doctors and nurses specialising in ophthalmology.

In total, the SJEHG is composed of six hospitals and three mobile outreach services, with 277 health professionals spread across the region.