CrossFireArabia
Al-Shifa Medical Complex Director Muhammad Abu Salmiya, warned, Wednesday, of an impending humanitarian catastrophe threatening the lives of thousands of patients and those wounded due to the depletion of chemotherapy and other life-saving medications, amidst a complete paralysis of the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip.
Abu Salmiya confirmed, in statements reported by Sanad that more than 4,000 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip have been completely deprived of treatment now for over a month.
He pointed out the chemotherapy shortage is raising the death rate among cancer patients to about four to five cases daily, given the continued Israeli blockade preventing the entry of diagnostic, therapeutic, and nuclear scanning equipment.
Read also: Gaza Health Ministry: Severe and Unprecedented Shortage of Cancer Medications
He explained medical teams exhausted all available alternative medications, including previously extended-expiration shipments. He emphasized the absence of any component in the chemotherapy protocol completely negates the effectiveness of the treatment, leaving breast, colon, and lung tumors to spread unchecked.
Abu Salmiya added the crisis has extended to other patient groups; children with diabetes are suffering from a complete lack of insulin pens, while kidney failure patients are facing a severe shortage of calcium supplements and blood-strengthening hormones. This is occurring alongside the spread of skin and intestinal diseases and dehydration among displaced people living in tents.
He pointed out that international and UN organizations, such as the World Health Organization, Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders, have closely observed this collapse, which coincides with the influx of 100s of martyrs and wounded to hospitals as a result of the ongoing escalation of violence.
Abu Salmiya called on the international community and the guarantors of the recently signed agreements to take urgent action and exert pressure to open the crossings and allow the regular entry of medicines and medical supplies to salvage what can still be saved.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza warned of a catastrophic health crisis due to the severe and unprecedented shortage of essential medicines for cancer patients, emphasizing that the provision of medical services to this group has reached its most critical point ever.
Medical reports and UN statements continue to emerge regarding the collapse of the health system in Gaza, with 26 out of 38 hospitals out of service, in addition to the shortage of basic medicines exceeding 50%, the shortage of medical supplies reaching 70%, and the shortage of laboratory tests reaching more than 87%, which threatens the lives of thousands of patients.
