JAKARTA – The health system in the Gaza Strip affected by the Hamas-Israel war is worse than expected, said a health expert who has just returned from the southern Palestinian enclave.
“You must decide who you will save and who you will leave behind,” murmured Dr. Anas Al-Kassem, reported CNN January 10.
Dr. Anas Al-Kassem is a Canadian surgeon who has just returned from Gaza, after spending two weeks working in Khan Younis, south of the Palestinian enclave.
He detailed the impossible decisions the few remaining medics had to make, as personnel, equipment and supplies ran out amid the Israeli offensive.
Al-Kassem said CNN On Wednesday, the state of Gaza's health system was “worse than I expected.”
“I think it's worse than I expected, to be honest with you,” he said, adding that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza was more intense than what he experienced while He worked in Aleppo, Syria, during the civil war there.
“The health system may not be the best due to the siege of Gaza for many years,” he said, adding that in the current war, “the system is on the verge of collapse.” collapse and is completely collapsed.”
The lack of adequate medical supplies has impacted other health facilities in the region, he said.
“We lack equipment, medicines, CT scan machines, etc., not to mention the lack of medicines (such as) painkillers, antibiotics,” Al-Kassem said, adding that he had to practice stitches on patients without anesthesia to be able to save them. for surgery, big.
The Israeli siege and strict restrictions on food, fuel and water entering Gaza are known to have devastated the health system, forcing medical staff to care for seriously injured patients in an environment lacking supplies and facilities. essential infrastructure. This happened after the Hamas militant group attacked Israel's southern region on October 7.
Only 13 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are partially functional and bed capacity is 351 percent, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah.
In Deir al-Balah, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported receiving dozens of casualties from several areas of central Gaza, due to the incessant air attacks that have pounded the area. Further south, where the Israeli army concentrates part of its military operations, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stressed that it “cannot afford” to lose its remaining operational hospitals.
Tag: international palestine hamas gaza israel conflict palestine israel health
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