The Ministry of Health in Gaza stressed that the acute shortage of medicines and basic medical resources threatens the health sector after reaching a large deficit, in light of the Corona pandemic, warning of the danger of this situation on the services provided to patients.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, said that his ministry’s warehouses suffer from a severe shortage of basic resources, after 44% of the drugs were exhausted, 29% of medical consumables, and 56% of laboratory supplies and blood banks.
He called on the ability, the United Nations and relevant international bodies, to accelerate the rescue of the health sector in Gaza, and to meet its urgent needs of medicines, medical consumables, respirators, and intensive care beds.
He stressed the need for international institutions to assume their full responsibilities towards lifting the Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza for more than 13 years, as the infrastructure in the sector has become dilapidated and insufficient, which poses a threat to the lives of the population in light of the threat of the epidemic.
Medical teams were forced to work with the least capabilities in light of the state of emergency that the country is passing through in general, and the besieged Gaza Strip in particular, in an attempt to save what could be saved, especially cases afflicted by corona, and prevent its transfer to the Gaza Strip, in light of the state of recklessness and indifference by society. International, standing on one foot to counter this deadly virus.
And live in the coastal sector about two million people, while its area does not exceed 365 square kilometers, which makes it one of the most densely populated regions in the world, which makes the possibility of a virus outbreak, a nightmare difficult to imagine.
The continuous shortage of medicines and medical consumables without solutions means that the sector is faced with its own destiny in the face of the deadly corona, especially since the Israeli siege is still applied in all aspects of life.
The Ministry of Health complains of an acute shortage of analysis equipment, which limits its ability to examine all suspected cases, as the examination is limited to only cases that show symptoms of infection with the virus.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights, in a statement, warned of a serious deterioration in health facilities in the sector, and its inability to deal with patients in the event of the spread of the Corona virus, in light of the severe shortage of medicines, medical consumables and laboratory examination materials.
The Center called on the international community and the World Health Organization to pressure the occupation authorities to comply with their obligations, and to allow the entry of all medical needs into the sector, especially medical devices and equipment necessary for the medical examination of the Corona virus.
The Center called on humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to the health system in the Gaza Strip, and to work to provide the medical supplies needed by hospitals, to help save the health sector from collapse.
This was reiterated by the Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza, Matthias Shamali, who called for maintaining the utmost vigilance and precaution to prevent COFED-19 disease from spreading in Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip, especially since the health sector is already suffering from great difficulties as a result of long years of siege and lack of funding .
