Ref: 38/2010

PCHR Calls upon
Palestinian President to Promptly Intervene to Ensure Sufficient Supply of
Medications and Medical Disposables

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the Ministry
of Health in Ramallah to promptly intervene in order to ensure the quick supply
of medications and medical supplies needed for the health sector in the Gaza
Strip, as hundreds of different types of medications and medical supplies have
run out of stock. PCHR calls upon the
Palestinian President and the Prime Minister in Ramallah to initiate thorough
investigations into the reasons for the obstructed supply of medications and
medical supplies, which had been approved in accordance with the budget of the
Ministry of Health in Ramallah, to health facilities in the Gaza Strip; and to
hold those who are found responsible accountable.

PCHR closely observes and follows up on the developments related to
medical conditions in the Gaza Strip, which have been continuously aggravated
by several factors. PCHR has recently
received a number of complaints from patients, including those suffering from chronic
diseases, regarding the delay in obtaining medications or medical treatment in
the Gaza Strip’s hospitals due to the lack of medical supplies needed for their
treatment. According to investigations
conducted by PCHR, such delays result from the lack of availability of
medications that are not supplied regularly by the General Directorate of
Pharmacy in Ramallah. Medical consignments delivered to the Gaza Strip
constituted less than 47% of the requests approved by the General Directorate
of Pharmacy in Ramallah in 2009 and 50% in 2008 respectively. Any medical supplies to be delivered to the
Gaza Strip this year have not arrived at the time of writing.

On Thursday, 18 May 2010, the General Directorate of Pharmacy at the
Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that 110 types of medications
and 123 types of medical supplies had run out. It further added that an additional 76 types of medications and 60 types
of medical supplies are expected to run out within the next three months. The General Directorate stated that the
shortage of medications and medical supplies has led to a health crisis, which
threatens the lives of thousands of patients, particularly those suffering from
chronic diseases. The health services
offered to 1.5 million civilians in the Gaza Strip have been deteriorating for
some time, especially following the vast destruction of health facilities
during the latest Israeli Offensive on the Gaza Strip and the ongoing blockade
that prevents the import of materials needed for reconstructing those facilities
and prevents the supply of medical consignments to the Gaza Strip’s hospitals
and health centers.

According to PCHR’s observations of the developments related to the
health sector in the Gaza Strip, hospitals and health facilities, including
children’s hospitals, suffer from a complete shortage of several types of
medications, the most important of which are:

1. Medications used at the infant nursery (Alprostadil),
different types of medical baby milk and the baby milk used for 300 babies
suffering from PKU.

2. Medications used for hundreds of persons with neurological
disorders, the majority of whom are children, including epilepsy medicine
(Tegretol and Depakin).

3. Some types of medicine used for cancer, such as Vinblastin
and Vincristin.

4. Factor 9 medicine and the medicine used for 10 patients
suffering from Hemophilia.

5. Medicine used for 300 patients suffering from Thalassemia in
the Gaza Strip (Exjade).

6. Antidotes, especially the antidote to snake venom, as cases
of snake bites increase in the summer.

7. Medications used for delivery department (like Oxytocin),
especially in light of the continuous increase of the number of daily
childbirths, which amount to 70 daily at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

8. Tinctorials used for X-ray and CT departments.

9. Several types of medical supplies used for the infant
nursery department (such as feeding tubes) are completely out of stock.

10.Different types of medical supplies
used for surgeries, such as: strings used for deliveries, laparoscopic
surgeries, intensive care (CV manometer), orthopedics (Kreshner Wire), open
heart surgery, eye surgery, electrocardiogram (ECG) and cardiotocography (CTG)
paper, all types of Nelaton Catheter, CT films, plaster with different sizes,
micropore, different types and sizes of injections and shoes cover.

PCHR expresses its grave concern regarding the obstruction of the supply
of medications and medical supplies consignments to public health facilities in
the Gaza Strip. It entails high risks
regarding the population’s right to enjoy the highest levels of physical and
mental care, including appropriate medical care at public health facilities and
the delivery of medication to patients, especially to those who suffer from
chronic diseases and need medications regularly. PCHR believes that stopping and/or hindering
the regular supply of medications and medical supplies to the warehouses of the
Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip constitutes a violation of the
Palestinians’ right to access to medical services. Thus, it is a clear
violation of the legal obligations of the Ministry of Health in Ramallah
regarding respecting, protecting and promoting the right to health. PCHR is aware that the international
community contributes to the annual budget of the Palestinian Authority,
including all the medications and medical supplies approved in the budget of
the Ministry of Health.

PCHR calls for:

§ Prompt intervention by the Palestinian President to ensure
that the Ministry of Health in Ramallah supplies all consignments of
medications and medical supplies needed at health facilitates in the Gaza
Strip.

§ The Ministry of Health in Ramallah to prompt action to
supply all types of medications and medical supplies mentioned above to avoid
health risks threatening the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

§ A thorough, transparent and independent investigation to
expose the reasons behind the obstructed supply of the types of medications and
medical supplies, which had been approved in accordance with the budget of the
Ministry of Health in Ramallah, to the health facilities in the Gaza Strip and
to hold accountable all who are found responsible for this obstruction.