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WHO Warns of Critical Medical Equipment Shortages in Gaza Hospitals
🇬🇷 Greece /Health & Science

WHO Warns of Critical Medical Equipment Shortages in Gaza Hospitals

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) warns of critical shortages of medical equipment in Gaza's hospitals, hindering their operations.
  • Israel's restrictions on the entry of essential supplies, which it designates as "dual-use" items, are cited as the primary cause of these shortages.
  • The WHO urges the removal of bureaucratic hurdles and restrictions to allow access to internationally recognized medical supplies, emphasizing the life-saving importance of these items.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning regarding the dire medical situation in Gaza, highlighting critical shortages of essential equipment that are severely impeding the functionality of hospitals and health centers. As reported by Ta Nea, the WHO attributes these shortages directly to Israeli restrictions on the entry of vital supplies into the Palestinian enclave, a situation that is pushing the healthcare system to the brink.

Serious shortages of medical equipment are hindering the operation of hospitals and health centers in Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned, denouncing the restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry of essential materials into the Palestinian enclave.

— Ta NeaSummarizing the WHO's warning and its cause.

According to the WHO's representative for the Palestinian territories, Rhiannon van der Veen, a significant portion of Gaza's healthcare facilities are operating only partially. This partial operation is a direct consequence of a lack of crucial medicines and medical equipment. The core of the problem, as explained by van der Veen, lies in Israel's classification of certain essential supplies as "dual-use" items, thereby restricting their passage into Gaza. This designation, the WHO argues, is unacceptable when referring to internationally recognized medical necessities.

53% of hospitals and 58% of health centers in Gaza are only partially operational due to critical shortages of medicines and medical equipment.

— Rhiannon van der VeenWHO representative for the Palestinian territories, detailing the impact of shortages.

The WHO is urgently calling for an end to these bureaucratic procedures and access limitations. Van der Veen provided specific examples of medical materials, such as laboratory equipment, oxygen concentrators, and orthopedic supplies, that have been held up for months, preventing their delivery to Gaza. The consequences are severe: without basic diagnostic tools, disease detection and epidemic monitoring are impossible, and without oxygen concentrators, critically ill patients face a heightened risk of death. The WHO's plea underscores the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, where over 43,000 people, including 10,000 children, require long-term rehabilitation and care due to injuries sustained amidst ongoing conflict. This situation is compounded by a disturbing pattern of attacks on medical facilities, with the WHO recording 22 such attacks in Gaza this year alone.

This must change. We are talking about internationally recognized medical supplies. They must be treated as such.

— Rhiannon van der VeenUrging Israel to lift restrictions on medical supplies.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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