Khaberni - Hospitals in the Gaza Strip are filled with dozens of critical cases among diabetes patients, amidst an almost complete interruption of insulin medications, test strips, and basic medical supplies, at a time when the health crisis is worsening due to the ongoing blockade and lack of supplies. Thousands of patients find themselves facing the risk of slow death without adequate treatment or medical care.
Specialist doctors have confirmed that about 80,000 diabetic patients in Gaza face serious health complications due to the absence of medical referrals and the ban on traveling abroad for treatment, which has exacerbated their suffering and led to the deterioration of many cases requiring special care not available with limited capabilities.
Today, Saturday, Dr. Ahmed Youssef Abu Taha, head of the department of endocrinology and diabetes at the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said diabetic patients are living in harsh conditions due to the cessation of healthcare services, explaining that the rate of periodic follow-up for these patients does not exceed 10% only.
He added that the severe shortage of insulin pens has caused dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels, threatening patients’ lives with lethal complications, pointing out that type one diabetes patients require a specific diet and precise monitoring, but in the absence of daily measurement devices, doctors have lost control over stabilizing their conditions.
Abu Taha pointed out that the health situation has not improved even after the ceasefire, as laboratory tests and basic medicines are still unavailable to this day.
Zuhair Al-Wahidi, director of the Health Information Unit at the Ministry of Health in Gaza, revealed a severe and unprecedented exacerbation in the crisis of shortages in medicines and medical supplies in the sector, resulting from the ongoing Israeli restrictions for more than two years on the entry of vital supplies.
Yesterday, Friday, Al-Wahidi explained during press statements that the deficit in essential medicines reached 56%, while the shortage of medical supplies reached 68%, and laboratory essentials reached 67%, warning that the continuation of this deterioration could lead to a complete collapse of the health system.
He stated that bone surgery operations are suffering from a severe shortage of 83%, while open heart operations have stopped completely (100%), and kidney services and bone fixators are facing a shortage of nearly 80%. He emphasized that the most critical aspects of the shortage are concentrated in the departments of emergency, anesthesia, intensive care, and vital surgical medicines.
Al-Wahidi clarified that the entry of medicines and medical supplies requires Israeli permits granted to traders and international organizations, which often leads to delays or denial of requests, amid the continuation of the list of prohibited goods and the deliberate postponement of approvals.
He added that the medical shipments that entered Gaza during the past year "cover only a tiny part of the actual needs", explaining that the sector received only six or seven small shipments, which are far from meeting the significant deficit that the health system faces amid escalating pressures since the last war.
On the 7th of October, 2023, with American and European support, "Israel" committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, including killing, starvation, destruction, displacement, and arrest, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to stop it.
The genocide left more than 239,000 Palestinians dead and injured, most of them children and women, with over 11,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that took many lives, mostly children, as well as complete destruction and erasing most of the cities and regions of the sector from the map.
