Occupied Jerusalem, April 7 (SANA) Gaza’s healthcare system is nearing collapse amid ongoing Israeli attacks since October 2023, with severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies limiting hospitals’ ability to provide services, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
In a statement marking World Health Day, the ministry said medication supplies have fallen to about 50%, while shortages reached 57% for medical consumables and 71% for laboratory materials, constraining the capacity of health facilities to treat growing numbers of wounded and sick patients.
The ministry said specialized services have been particularly affected, especially cancer treatment, with around 4,100 patients facing a 61% shortage in essential drugs. It added that shortages exceeding 40% have also been recorded in primary care, neurology, nephrology, surgery and intensive care.
Cardiac procedures, including open-heart surgeries and catheterization, have stopped entirely, while supplies for eye surgeries have declined by about 89%, the ministry said.
Hospital capacity has dropped by more than 55%, with 22 hospitals and 90 health centers no longer operational due to damage to infrastructure, according to the statement.
The ministry said 676 dialysis patients are relying on 108 machines, while around 5,000 people have undergone amputations, including 980 children, many of whom require long-term rehabilitation.
It added that 21,367 patients and wounded individuals are awaiting permits to travel abroad for treatment, including 195 critical cases. According to the ministry, 1,517 patients have died while waiting to leave Gaza for medical care.
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