Gaza is on the verge of a more serious health catastrophe. Al-Wahidi reveals the collapse of hospital capacities and the running out of medicines

Gaza - Ofoq News - Zaher Al-Wahidi, Director of the Health Information Center at the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, warned that the health system has reached extremely dangerous levels of incapacity and attrition, after three years of the Israeli war, revealing a sharp decline in the operational capacity of hospitals, and a widespread shortage of medicines, medical supplies, and diagnostic devices, at a time when the needs of the sick and wounded are increasing, amid fears of renewed large-scale military operations, and the additional pressures that may result on a health sector that already suffers from limited capacity. To respond.

Al-Wahidi revealed that only 19 out of 38 hospitals that were operating before the war are currently continuing to provide their services in a partial and limited manner, including five government hospitals that bear the greatest burden of emergency, surgical, maternity, and specialized care services, while the shortage in medicines has reached 45%, and in medical consumables 56%, coinciding with the cessation of all MRI machines, and the number of operating CT machines decreasing from 18 machines to only three machines.

Al-Wahidi’s statements came during an interview on the “Tala Sabah” program, presented by journalist Adel Gharib, and broadcast on Ma’an satellite channel, Ma’an radio network, and Radio 4. He addressed the reality of the health system in the Gaza Strip and the extent of its readiness to confront any new military escalation, in addition to the conditions of the chronically ill and wounded, the crisis of medicines and medical equipment, and the challenges facing health personnel in light of the continued restrictions imposed on the entry of basic needs.

From 38 hospitals to 19 that are partially operational... and the health system is losing half of its operational capabilities

In presenting the extent of the damage to the health sector, Al-Wahidi explained that the Gaza Strip had 38 hospitals before the war that provided various medical services, including basic care, specialized surgeries, open-heart surgeries, endoscopy, oncology treatment, and radiotherapy, in addition to emergency, maternity, and intensive care services.

He pointed out that during the three years of the war, hospitals were targeted and destroyed to varying degrees, which led to a large number of them being out of service, while other hospitals became inaccessible due to their location within the areas behind what is known as the “yellow line.”

He indicated that among the hospitals that have become out of service or are inaccessible are the Indonesian Hospital, the European Hospital, and Al-Najjar Hospital, in addition to other health facilities that were damaged by military operations.

He stressed that the nineteen hospitals that are still operating are not providing their services at their previous capacity, but rather partially and with limited capabilities, which has led to the concentration of large numbers of patients and wounded in a small number of health facilities.

He pointed out that only five government hospitals are now responsible for providing the bulk of medical services to about two million people, after the number of government hospitals before the war was 13 hospitals.

He explained that these five hospitals carry out broad tasks, including receiving emergency cases, performing surgical operations, and providing overnight and delivery services and specialized care, despite the fact that they suffer from a severe shortage of personnel, equipment, medicines, and capacity.

The family crisis is worsening... and hospital occupancy has reached 300%

Al-Wahidi revealed a significant decline in the number of beds available for patients, explaining that the total clinical capacity of the health sector decreased from 3,412 beds before the war to less than 2,600 beds currently.

As for the Ministry of Health hospitals, the number of beds decreased from about 2,700 beds to only 1,200 beds, which reflects the size of the gap between the increasing health needs and the available capabilities.

He explained that the bed occupancy rate during the height of the war reached between 250% and 300%, which levels reflect the exceptional pressure that hospitals were exposed to as a result of the large numbers of injured and sick people, and the inability of health facilities to accommodate them within their normal capacity.

He added that this pressure did not end with periods of relative stability, but rather continued in different forms, especially with the rise in the number of births and the increasing need for maternal and newborn care services.

He stressed that the shortage of beds does not only represent an operational problem, but also directly affects the ability of hospitals to receive patients and provide them with appropriate care, and increases the difficulty of dealing with critical cases that require hospitalization and continuous medical monitoring.

350% occupancy rate for nurseries... and only 48 incubators are equipped

In another indication of the depth of the crisis, Al-Wahidi revealed that the occupancy rate of neonatal care departments has reached more than 350%, in light of a sharp decline in the number of incubators and specialized care devices.

He explained that the Gaza Strip had about 160 to 162 neonatal care units before the war, while there are currently only 48 incubators equipped for intensive care, in addition to about 61 special neonatal care units.

He pointed out that these limited capabilities are facing increasing pressure with the rise in the number of births, explaining that the number of births reached about 2,000 births in the month of March, before rising to 6,177 births in August, then to about 6,400 births last September.

Al-Wahidi did not rule out that the number of births would exceed 7,000 births during the coming periods, in light of the increase in marriages during the ceasefire periods.

He stressed that this increase imposes additional challenges on maternity departments, nurseries, and neonatal intensive care, especially in light of the limited medical equipment and supplies needed to deal with children who need specialized care.

45% shortage of medicines and 56% of consumables... and chronic patients face danger

Al-Wahidi turned to the crisis of medicines and medical supplies, stressing that the health sector suffers from a wide shortage of basic items, as the deficit in medicines reached 45%, while in medical consumables it reached 56%.

He explained that the shortage is particularly concentrated in medicines for chronic diseases and primary health care, as the percentage of shortage in some of these items exceeds 50%.

He pointed out that this crisis has a direct impact on patients who need regular and continuous treatment, especially those with diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

He revealed that insulin pens designated for children with type 1 diabetes are not available, warning that the alternatives that medical teams are forced to use may be unsafe or inappropriate for some cases.

He also pointed out the shortage of many basic medications for heart and blood pressure patients, explaining that the quantities arriving in the Gaza Strip are sometimes only sufficient for a few weeks or several months, which prevents ensuring continuity of treatment.

He stressed that the problem is not limited to the lack of medicine, but rather includes an interconnected series of obstacles that begin with the difficulty of the patient reaching the health facility, then the limited services available, leading to the lack of the required treatment even if he obtains diagnosis and medical care.

He considered that the accumulation of these crises leads to a deterioration in the health conditions of patients, and increases the possibility of them being exposed to complications that could have been avoided if treatment and care were available on a regular basis.

Gaza has no MRI machines... and three CT scan machines serving the entire Strip

In one of the most prominent pieces of information revealed by Al-Wahidi, he confirmed that the Gaza Strip does not currently have any working MRI machines, after it had nine machines before the war.

He explained that all of these devices have been out of service since the beginning of the war, which caused a large gap in the ability to diagnose many medical conditions that require accurate examinations.

He also revealed that the number of operating tomography machines had decreased from 18 before the war to only three machines, noting that the remaining machines suffer from frequent malfunctions, in light of the lack of spare parts needed for maintenance.

He said that the pressure on these devices has exceeded the usual operating limits, explaining that the device designed to perform about 50 to 70 tests at the maximum is currently being used to conduct approximately 700 tests per day, while the number of tests in some devices is approaching a thousand tests.

He warned that this intensive use exposes the remaining devices to the risk of malfunctions and complete stoppage at any moment, especially with limited maintenance capabilities and the absence of spare parts.

He pointed out that the failure of these devices for days on end has become a frequent occurrence, before technical crews are able to return them to work temporarily.

He stressed that the lack of diagnostic methods directly affects medical decisions and surgical interventions, and puts doctors before very complex challenges in determining the nature of diseases and injuries and choosing appropriate treatment.

21 thousand patients need treatment outside Gaza... and the diagnosis crisis doubles the suffering

Al-Wahidi linked the deterioration of medical diagnostic capabilities to the increased need to refer patients for treatment outside the Gaza Strip, noting that there are about 21,000 patients in need of medical evacuation.

He explained that some cases need to be transferred due to the unavailability of basic diagnostic tests, especially magnetic resonance imaging, while other cases require medical treatments or interventions that are no longer available within the sector.

He focused in particular on the situation of oncology patients, stressing that they face multiple challenges that begin with limited diagnostic services, extend to the lack of chemotherapy protocols, and reach the unavailability of some analgesic medications and palliative treatments.

He pointed out that the patient may be able to reach the health facility, but he does not find the required treatment, or it is not possible to complete the treatment protocol due to the lack of medicines and capabilities.

He stressed that these conditions increase the need to facilitate medical evacuation and provide treatment opportunities outside the Gaza Strip, in parallel with work to rehabilitate health facilities and introduce the necessary equipment and medicines.

“The medicine that reaches us is a drop in the ocean of needs.” Limited supplies do not end the crisis

In his response to journalist Adel Gharib’s question about the sources of medical supplies and the entities responsible for supporting the health sector, Al-Wahidi confirmed that the quantities arriving in Gaza are not commensurate with the size of the actual needs.

He said that the medicines arriving represent “a drop in the ocean of needs,” explaining that the supplies allowed to enter are often sufficient for short periods, without constituting a sustainable solution to the shortage crisis.

He accused the Israeli authorities of following a policy based on allowing the entry of limited quantities of medicines and supplies when the stock runs out, which, according to his description, leads to postponing the crisis instead of addressing it radically.

He pointed out that the same situation applies to the fuel supplies needed to operate hospital generators, as limited quantities arrive when the generators are about to stop, and these quantities are sufficient for days or weeks only.

He also spoke about a severe shortage of spare parts, maintenance supplies, and oils needed to operate electrical generators, explaining that the available quantities are significantly less than the actual monthly needs.

He stressed that the continuation of this mechanism in providing supplies makes health facilities work under constant pressure, without having sufficient reserve stock to cope with breakdowns or a sudden increase in the number of patients and injured people.

Medicines in Ramallah warehouses do not reach Gaza.. Al-Wahidi calls for international intervention

Regarding the bodies supporting the health sector, Al-Wahidi explained that the World Health Organization plays a major role in providing assistance, along with international institutions, civil society organizations and local partners, in addition to the efforts made by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

He stressed that the Palestinian Ministry of Health operates as a single national institution that seeks to provide health services to citizens, noting continued coordination to secure the needs of patients and medical facilities in the Gaza Strip.

He revealed that quantities of medicines are in the warehouses of the Ministry of Health in Ramallah, but they are unable to reach the Gaza Strip due to restrictions imposed on their entry.

He pointed out that some of these medicines may expire in warehouses before they are allowed to be delivered to patients who need them, despite the efforts made to secure their entry.

Al-Wahidi held the Israeli authorities responsible for the obstacles that prevent the entry of medicines, medical devices and spare parts, calling on international institutions to exert effective pressure to remove these restrictions.

He also called for allowing the entry of specialized medical delegations, and facilitating the restoration and rehabilitation of damaged hospitals, thus contributing to restoring part of the operational capabilities that the health sector lost during the war.

Threats to target hospitals...and warnings of a new escalation

Al-Wahidi warned of the continued threats to health institutions in the Gaza Strip, revealing that more than six or seven threats to target hospitals had been recorded during the 72 hours preceding the interview, according to the information he provided.

He considered that the continuation of these threats increases the state of anxiety within health institutions, especially in light of the destruction and damage that hospitals have been exposed to during the past three years.

In response to a question about the extent of the health sector’s readiness to face the possibility of resuming large-scale military operations, he explained that the Ministry of Health was forced during the war to prepare continuous response plans to deal with the most difficult scenarios.

He pointed out that these plans are based on ensuring the continuation of the minimum basic and life-saving medical services, even in cases of widespread displacement and the disruption of health facilities.

He explained that the priority includes emergency services, surgical operations, overnight stays, internal medicine, and childbirth, with the necessity of providing them in areas where the population is present, no matter how difficult the circumstances are.

He added that health teams were forced, at different stages of the war, to transfer services from one location to another, with the aim of maintaining continuity of medical care in the areas to which the displaced people moved.

He stressed that these measures represent attempts to adapt to the emergency reality, but they do not compensate for the need to rebuild the health system and provide stable operational capabilities.

364 health personnel were arrested... and 84 are still in prison

Speaking about the sacrifices made by medical teams, Al-Wahidi revealed that 364 health sector workers were arrested during the war, noting that 84 of them are still detained in Israeli prisons, according to the ministry’s data that he presented.

He added that six health personnel died inside Israeli prisons, according to what he reported, including Doctor Adnan Al-Barsh and Doctor Iyad Al-Rantisi.

He also pointed out that large numbers of health workers were killed while performing their medical duties, without specifying in the interview an accurate total number of victims.

He stressed that doctors, surgeons, nursing and technical staff continued to work throughout the years of war, despite the conditions of displacement and the lack of food, medicine and basic supplies.

He explained that some surgeons spent long periods of time inside hospitals, moving between operating rooms and emergency departments and caring for patients, in an attempt to respond to the increasing numbers of infected people.

He stressed that health workers did not leave their work sites voluntarily in many cases, but were forced to evacuate them forcibly during military operations, citing what happened in Al-Shifa, Kamal Adwan, Al-Awda, and Indonesian hospitals.

The health sector is working with minimal capabilities... and the crews are adhering to the continuity of services

Al-Wahidi stressed that the biggest challenge facing the health system is not only related to the lack of resources, but rather the necessity of continuing to provide services despite the decline in capabilities to extremely dangerous levels.

He explained that the medical personnel work with the equipment, medicines and supplies they have available, and are trying to take advantage of local capabilities to provide the minimum level of health care.

He pointed out that continuing work in hospitals during periods of bombing, displacement, and shortages of fuel and medical materials required exceptional measures and continuous adjustments in operating plans and distribution of services.

He pointed out that maintaining life-saving services is a priority that cannot be abandoned, despite the great difficulties facing health workers.

At the conclusion of the interview, journalist Adel Gharib praised the steadfastness of the Palestinian medical teams and their ability to continue working in extremely harsh conditions, considering that the experience that the health sector went through in Gaza deserves to be documented, archived and studied, as an experience that can be used to develop health response mechanisms during wars and disasters.

He pointed out that the doctors worked in difficult living and health conditions, which included a lack of food, electricity, and refrigeration inside some medical facilities, in addition to the ongoing security risks.

He called for documenting this experience and transferring it to international medical and research institutions, allowing lessons related to health emergency management in exceptional circumstances to be learned.