The International commission (ICSPR): Hospitals and health centers in Gaza Strip are in a critical condition due to the worsening fuel shortage crisis.
Ref: 3/2019
Date: 15 Jan 2019
Press Release
The International commission (ICSPR): Hospitals and health centers in Gaza Strip are in a critical condition due to the worsening fuel shortage crisis.
The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) is concerned about the health situation in Gaza Strip, which is witnessing an unprecedented deterioration due to the exacerbation of the fuel crisis required to operate the generators, especially in the absence of any solution in the horizon with the donors to supply new quantities of fuel, and the continuation of the Israeli siege and in addition to the sanctions imposed on Gaza Strip by the Government of National Reconciliation, which has affected health and medical services and has posed an additional challenge to the provision of appropriate health services.
According to information available to the International Commission, the continued crisis in the depletion of fuel in health facilities will have catastrophic consequences on the patients in Gaza Strip when the generators stop in the next few days, where it endangers the lives of 800 patients with renal failure, who attend128 dialysis machines 3 times a week, 30 of them are children. Moreover, it will stop 40 operations rooms running 250 surgeries a day and will threaten the lives of hundreds of pregnant women who need caesareans when the operations rooms in the delivery sections stop.
It will also worsen the health of thousands of patients who require laboratory tests and blood units every day when 50 medical laboratories and 10 blood banks in the Ministry of Health facilities have been shut down and will endanger the lives of 120 premature babies. The lives of 100 patients in ICUs will be threatened, who are constantly connected to the power supply on their medical devices.
The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) affirms the fuel crisis in hospitals and health centers, in addition to the humanitarian crises affecting the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip, where the health sector is also affected by this crisis, especially in light of the crisis of power cuts and the escalation of the shortage of medicines and medical supplies, and the continued decline in the preparation of medical referrals, which would lead to the full collapse of the health system.
ICSPR considers the lack of fuel allocated to hospitals and medical centers endangers the lives of Palestinian patients and would lead to death, especially in light of the high numbers of wounded among demonstrators in the return marches. ICSPR considers this statement as a humanitarian appeal to all international parties to prevent the suspension of hospitals and health centers. Therefore, it demands the following:
1- ICSPR warns against continuing to ignore the unprecedented deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza Strip as a result of the continued Israeli siege, the continued collective punishment imposed by the Palestinian presidency and government and the inability of Palestinian parties to overcome the state of division, which exacerbated the magnitude of the crises experienced by the people of Gaza Strip, and threatens all aspects of life.
2- ICSPR urges donors to provide regular fuel supply, where the amount of fuel needed to operate generators in hospitals and medical centers is about 18,000 liters of diesel per month.
3- ICSPR urges the World Health Organization and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to urgently intervene to provide fuel to operate the generators and to provide medical treatment and supplies for patients in Gaza Strip.
4- ICSPR calls on the international community to cease the practice of politicizing Palestinian issues and to force the Israeli occupation state to immediately end its siege on Gaza Strip and to end its policies and procedures against Palestinian patients.
5- ICSPR reiterates its call on the Government of National Reconciliation to stop all actions that harm the population in Gaza strip, especially those targeting the health sector, spare the health sector more risks and deterioration, and provide all forms of support, especially as the health sector in Gaza is in dire need of support.
