Ref: 54/2011
The Palestinian Center
for Human Rights (PCHR) is deeply concerned over the cancellation of dozens of
surgeries at hospitals in the Gaza Strip and postponement of others to unknown
periods, due to the serious shortages in medications and medical supplies, as
the Gaza Strip has not been supplied with medications and medical needs since
last February. PCHR warns of the expected
catastrophic deterioration to health conditions of the Palestinian population,
including patients, especially those who suffer from chronic diseases, who have
not been able to regularly obtain medications. PCHR calls upon the Palestinian President to immediately intervene to
ensure immediate supplying of the Gaza Strip with necessary medications and
medical consignment.
PCHR has observed over the past two weeks
the devastating crisis of the shortages in medications and medical supplies in
public health facilities, including hospitals, medical centers and
clinics. According to investigations
conducted by PCHR and statements issued by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 178 types of
medications and 123 types of medical supplies have run out, and an additional
69 types of medications and 70 types of medical supplies are expected to run
out within the next three months.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has been forced to take a series of
emergency measures, including contraction of public health services, including
surgeries, and suspension of some basic health services, such as dentistry,
public and outpatient clinic. The
Ministry has further reduced the work capacity in many other clinics and
departments in public hospitals, including surgeries; has cancelled already
scheduled surgeries, including pediatric surgeries, ophthalmological surgeries
and cardiac catheterization; and has suspended other services of lab tests,
medical imaging, endoscopic surgeries,
urology, orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery. The Ministry has also declared contraction of
health services in some primary health care centers and hospitals, including
food and water control services, the child’s health, women’s health and
occupational health. PCHR is concerned
that such steps may impact the population of the Gaza Strip, and cause further
deterioration to the already deteriorated health services.
According to information available to PCHR,
primary care centers and hospitals face extreme difficulties as their warehouses
have ran out of many types of medications they regularly provide to
patients. Such medications include many
necessary antibiotics and dozens of necessary medical supplies. Martyr
Abu Yousef
al-Najjar Hospital
and the UAE Red Crescent
Hospital in Rafah have
warned of the repercussions of the shortage in medications and medical supplies
on their patients, especially as they have been forced to use their emergency
stocks.
The crisis of medical needs constitutes a
vast obstacle to the work of medical crews in hospitals and medical centers in
the Gaza Strip. PCHR’s field workers
reported that dozens of necessary medical supplies have been unavailable in
various departments, including ICU’s, nurseries of premature infants; operation
rooms; anesthesia and recovery; emergency; cardiac catheterization; hematology
and oncology; nephritic diseases; and pediatrics. The director of the Ophthalmology
Hospital in Gaza City
stated that they were forced to postpone 8 surgeries that were scheduled to be
performed in the past two days for patients who suffer from cataract. He added that retinal surgeries have been
stopped in the hospital for six months due to the chronic shortage in some
medical needs and spare parts of some medical equipment.
Dr. Omar al-Nasser, Director-General of
Public Relations and Information Department in the Ministry of Health in
Ramallah, stated on Sunday, 12 June 2011, that 19 types of vital medications
provided by the Egyptian Medical Association would be delivered to the central
medical warehouses in the Gaza Strip soon. The Ministry of Health in Ramallah declared that it would coordinate
with Israeli occupation authorities in order to supply central medical
warehouses in the Gaza Strip with some medications and medical consumables from
its warehouses in Ramallah and Nablus. According to Dr. Abu al-Nasser, the Ministry
prepared lists that include more than 130 types of medical consumables and
surgical tools, whose value is estimated at 2.5 million NIS,
and of 81 types of medications, whose value is estimated at 6 million NIS, which are expected to
be entered into the Gaza Strip in the next two days.
PCHR is deeply concerned over the
deterioration of health conditions in the Gaza Strip, and:
1- PCHR calls for prompt intervention by the
Palestinian President to ensure that the Ministry of Health in Ramallah supply
all consignments of medications and medical supplies needed at health
facilitates in the Gaza Strip. 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, especially as such medications and medical supplies are available
in the Ministry’s warehouses in the West Bank as indicated by Dr. Abu al-Nasser;
and to hold those who are found responsible accountable.
2- PCHR calls for
coordination between the Ministry of Health in Ramallah and its counterpart in Gaza to remove obstacles,
especially under the current atmosphere of reconciliation.
3- PCHR calls upon the Ministry of Health in
Ramallah to immediately supply all of the above-mentioned types of medications
and medical supplies to avoid health risks threatening the lives of
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
4- PCHR calls upon
the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the
Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, to pressurize the Israeli occupation authorities
to lift the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip to stop the suffering of the
Palestinian population, especially patients, and allow the delivery of urgent
medications, medical consignments and spare parts to health facilities in the
Gaza Strip.
5- PCHR reminds
the Israeli occupation authorities of their legal obligations towards the
population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), especially ensuring the
free and secure flow of all medical consignments and foods to the population,
and to provide them if the financial resources in the OPT do not suffice,
according to international humanitarian law.
