Health in Gaza warns of the imminent shortage of many medicines and swabs needed to diagnose Corona

Health in Gaza warns of the imminent shortage of many medicines and swabs needed to diagnose Corona

The Ministry of Health in Gaza warned , this evening, Thursday, that many medicines and laboratory swabs needed to diagnose the Corona virus will soon run out in the Gaza Strip.
The ministry said that the number of laboratory swabs available to diagnose Corona virus is only sufficient for days.
 
The Ministry confirmed during a press conference that the increasing number of new infections with the Coronavirus in the sector requires more medical supplies.
In turn, the director general of pharmacy at the ministry, Mounir Al-Barsh, added: "We have warned of the danger of the catastrophic level in the stockpile of medicines, and the matter got worse during the Corona crisis."
He continued, "The situation is catastrophic at the level of medicine supplies in the Gaza Strip, and 47% of medicines in health warehouses have a balance of 0%."
He noted that the ministry "spent from the stockpile of medicines in one day as it used to spend in an entire month before the pandemic."
He also warned that 47% of pharmaceutical items have a zero balance, stressing that the increasing number of Coronavirus infections requires more medical supplies.
Al-Borsh indicated that the health services were most affected by specialized health services such as cancer and blood diseases, where the disability rate was 63%, health care services 66%, mother and child health 56%, emergency service and operations 21%, kidney services and dialysis 41%.
For his part, Director of the Laboratories Department, Dean of Mushtaha, indicated that the ministry suffers a deficit of 65% of all laboratory items, adding: "There is a severe shortage of special materials, and the swabs are nearly enough for a few days."
Mushtaha explained that the operational materials and consumables for blood gas devices, kidney functions, and the chemical and viral tests necessary for those infected with Covid 19, there is a great shortage, which hinders the work of health personnel, which work in limited quantities, which are only sufficient for a few days, which endangers the health of patients.
 
In addition, the ministry´s spokesman, Ashraf Al-Qudra, stressed that the central laboratory is in urgent need of laboratory testing equipment for Corona.
He called on countries to take action to end the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.