NOVANEWS
A Palestinian child is held by his mother in Dora hospital in Gaza City, February 6, 2018.
At the end of January, Gaza’s public health care system had run out of 206 essential medicines – that is 40 percent of medications included in the basic Palestinian health basket. A further 27 drugs – or 6 percent of the 516 medications in the basket – were about to be depleted within days or weeks. There is a dire shortage in essential drugs such as those required for performing cardiac angiographies, treating cancer and autoimmune diseases and performing dialysis. Of a list of 853 disposable medical equipment items, 220 were expected to be unobtainable by the end of January.
A recent report by Physicians for Human Rights, which examines the situation of the Gaza public health system, mentions that the shortage of lab supplies leads to a situation in which blood chemistry, hematology and cultures can be performed only for hospitalized patients, and not at out-patient clinics. This has also led to a dire shortage in blood donations.
Access to materials, which are necessary to allow the Gazan economy, infrastructure and basic services to recover from the 2014 conflict, remains highly restricted.
According to a UN report , electricity supply – this year the most visible deterioration in the living conditions in Gaza – is as low as 90 megawatts in recent days against the 450 megawatts needed. Ongoing humanitarian assistance, especially through UNRWA’s services, are helping slow this descent, but the down ward direction remains clear.
As is clear, international institutions suffice to give report on the situation in Gaza, which leaves no way for Palestinians but to counter with an appropriate response.
