“This takes the total hospitals that work in Gaza only 14 … The situation in the remaining eight hospitals and a country hospital in the city is fundamental,” said spokesman Tarik Jasarevic.
Development occurs as Israeli forces continue to push the city of Gaza with the declared objective of discouraging Hamas fighters that are believed to be based there. At the same time, repeated evacuation orders of Israel’s defense forces have been issued to communities in the city of Gaza, uprooting hundreds of thousands of people and affecting hundreds of health facilities.
“Even if the hospitals are not asked to evacuate, there is a lack of access, there is nearly violence and that can leave them out of service.” Mr. Jasarevic told journalists in Geneva.
Key health role in the city
The city of Gaza forms the spine of the Gaza Strip Health System, since almost half of all hospitals and field hospitals in the enclave are based there.
“Hospitals in the south are overwhelmed and cannot absorb anymore,” Who warned in a statement on Friday that indicated that the remaining hospitals of the enclave include eight in the city of Gaza, three in Deir al Balah and three in Khan Younis. None works at full capacity, emphasized the UN Health Agency.
The situation in the remaining eight hospitals in the city of Gaza and a field hospital is “critical”, with medical equipment “overwhelmed by the influx of victims resulting from strikes”, in addition to having to treat non -traumatic patients.
The four hospitals in Northern Gaza that were put out of service since September 1 are to Rantisi Children’s Hospital, the Ophthalmic Hospital, the St. John Eye hospital and the Hamad hospital for rehabilitation and prostheses.
Who describes the Hamad hospital as one of the three main rehabilitation facilities specialized in the Gaza Strip. He had been attending 250 outpatients with rehabilitation services, in addition to providing medical care to injured people while looking for help in North Gaza at their trauma stabilization point, with approximately 200 patients treated daily.
Devastating attacks
The Rantisi hospital suffered serious damage due to a direct strike on September 16, while 80 patients were inside the installation. It is the only specialized pediatric hospital that remains in the Gaza strip. No deaths were reported in the attack, but there were significant damage to the roofing water tanks, communication systems and medical equipment.
Half of the patients fled, while another 40 remain inside, including four children in the intensive care unit and eight newborns, according to WHO. Most of his medical team was transferred to Al Helou, such as Sahaba and friendly hospitals for patients, all in the city of Gaza.
In addition to the latest hospital closures, the situation is “critical” in the remaining eight hospitals in the city of Gaza and a country hospital. All are “overwhelmed by the influx of victims resulting from strikes”, low in supplies and forced to treat patients on the floor.
Highlighting the critical shortage in the blood units, the bloodbags and the transfusions sets “the services could close in a matter of days, without urgent refueling”, who insisted.
According to the UN Health Agency, all but a dozen reported attacks against medical care between September 7 and 17 have been in the city of Gaza, with Khan Younis on 12.
Necessary medications without delay
“More violence only means more injured people. It means lower, more deaths and means less access.” Jasarevic said. “People in Gaza suffer from multiple displacements; there is a shortage of medical supplies, there are access problems for both humanitarians, for health workers, for patients.”
The WHO spokesman reiterated the call of the Health Agency for the urgent evacuation of the thousands of seriously ill patients who need specialized care.
“More than 15,000 people … They need to be evacuated for medical reasons and evacuations really go very, very slowly,” he said. “Once again, we can only appeal for a high fire, appeal for access without obstacles so that we can try to support what remains of the health system in Gaza with medical supplies, emergency medical equipment and with everything else.”