Bombardments make hospitals inaccessible in Gaza

Cairo/Geneva/Jerusalem: Bombardments make hospitals inaccessible in Gaza! The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed its concerns about reports of Al-Kheir Hospital in Southern Gaza, a small NGO-run hospital with around 30 beds, facing military incursions and several health workers being detained.  WHO stated that communication with the hospital was no longer possible.

Due to evacuation orders in neighbourhoods surrounding Nasser Medical Complex–the largest hospital in the south–and continuous hostilities in the vicinity of the hospital, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that large numbers of wounded people were on the hospital grounds.

An international emergency medical team deployed at Nasser said that no one could enter or exit the facility due to the ongoing bombardment close by.

Health staff were reported to be digging graves on hospital grounds due to the large numbers of deaths anticipated and the need to manage dead bodies.

“This horrifying situation should never take place in any hospital, the WHO stated.

In southern Gaza, which used to have 12 hospitals, only 7 remain partially functional. A further two, Al-Kheir Hospital and Nasser Medical Complex were only minimally functional and now inaccessible.

Hostilities around Al-Amal Hospital were risking the facility becoming non-functional, as ambulances and injured patients reportedly could not access the facility.

WHO and partners after completing another high-risk mission on January 22, 2024, to resupply fuel to the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people remain cut off from aid, reiterated their calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, active protection of civilians and health care, and sustained access for the delivery of critical aid across the Strip.

The team said the few remaining hospitals find themselves in ever more dire circumstances, with hostilities often preventing access for patients and supplies, and health workers managing on little rest and scarce supplies, across the Gaza Strip.

The mission was carried out along with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Department of Safety and Security, and Médecins Sans Frontières.

The last humanitarian mission to northern Gaza took place on January 12, 2024.

The January 22 mission, which delivered 19,000 litres of fuel to Al-Shifa Hospital, faced delays at the checkpoint. The roads leading to the hospital were severely damaged, and the desperation in northern Gaza was apparent, as thousands of civilians surrounded the UN vehicles and fuel truck in the hopes of finding food and water, also delaying the mission.

In Al-Shifa Hospital, the mission saw that the functionality has improved since the last visit ten days ago. A significant decrease in the number of displaced people, from 40 000 to 10 000 was observed. There were 120 health and care workers and 300 patients. The hospital conducted 5-10 surgeries daily, mainly trauma cases that require immediate care.

Essential services such as basic laboratory and radiological facilities remained operational at Al-Shifa Hospital, along with emergency care, a surgical unit with three operation theatres, post-operative care, and a dialysis unit. There were plans to reopen a 9-bed ICU over the coming days, the UN team said. It pointed out that there were no maternity or pediatric services, and shortages of specialized doctors, medicines, and medical supplies such as orthopaedic equipment. “These units could become operational again but will require a consistent supply of fuel, oxygen, medical supplies, and other aid, it said.

The team found out that the hospital’s primary oxygen plant had been destroyed and that they were relying on a smaller plant.

According to the team, seven out of 24 hospitals remained open in northern Gaza. These were only partially functioning, without enough specialized medical staff to manage the volume and range of injuries, nor sufficient medicines and medical supplies, fuel, clean water, or food for patients or staff. Additionally, two Ministry of Health primary healthcare centres in northern Gaza were partially functional but lacked essential supplies, including syringes and vaccines needed for routine immunization.

“Intensified military presence and hostilities in southern Gaza are also placing patients and health workers at risk, and compromising access to health care. They are severely obstructing the movement of health workers, ambulances, and health partners’ ability to resupply hospitals, eroding their functionality,” the team stated. WHO staff further said the situation for hospitals in Khan Yunis was “catastrophic and indescribable.” 

– global bihari bureau