I have just identified our first specific example of a life saved thanks to access to the full text of a research paper. In this case, it appears to be access to subscription content enabled by Hinari/Research4Life rather than OA, but the principle is the same..
Extracts below. Full text here: https://www.research4life.org/blog/a-life-saving-story-from-palestine/
Best wishes, Neil (HIFA moderator)
Access to research during conflict: A life-saving story from Palestine
In conflict zones, medical and academic professionals face extraordinary challenges that extend well beyond their core work... These include severe travel restrictions, minimal scientific funding, limited access to laboratory equipment and international collaboration, and restricted access to global scholarly content...
Recognizing this need, Research4Life granted free emergency access to its content for researchers in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, in 2024.
The following story, shared with us by Dr. Ashhab in October 2025 , shows how essential timely access to research can be...
A Story of How Access to Knowledge Changed a Child’s Life
By Dr. Yaqoub Ashhab
Earlier this year, we were caring for a young child who had worrying symptoms that doctors suspected might be linked to a rare condition called Cushing’s syndrome...
In March 2025, we searched PubMed and came across a very recent scientific article published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism just two months earlier. The study was particularly powerful because it involved 334 patients with PPNAD [Primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease] - one of the largest groups studied so far. But there was a challenge: we needed the full text of the paper to confirm whether our patient’s genetic change was included...
Thanks to Research4Life, and the access provided through our Palestine Polytechnic University library, we were able to download the full article. To our great relief, the publication reported the exact same genetic change in several patients. This was the strong piece of evidence we needed to confirm our diagnosis...
Based on this, the medical team decided to go ahead with surgery. The pathology results from the removed adrenal glands matched perfectly with our genetic findings. Today, the child is recovering very well – healthy weight, normal blood sugar, and a brighter future ahead...