WHO warns of Gaza medical-supply crisis amid restrictions

Geneva (ANTARA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday (6 March) warned that stocks of medicines in the Gaza Strip are dangerously low amid constrained entry into the territory. Regional Director for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, Hanan Balkhy, said stocks of several basics, including gauze rolls and needles, have run dry. “In Gaza, the health system remains extremely fragile, and stocks of essential medicines, trauma care supplies and surgical equipment are very low,” she said, adding that a fuel crisis is also constraining hospital operations. She warned that without consistent humanitarian access, including safe delivery of medical supplies and the resumption of medical evacuations, patients will continue to face life-threatening delays in obtaining treatment. Balkhy noted that the WHO was able to bring some medical supplies and fuel into Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday, but several aid trucks remained stuck in the Egyptian city of El-Arish. She said that the number of trucks entering Gaza is no more than 200 per day, while the territory needs at least 600 trucks per day to meet the population’s needs. Balkhy also called for more fuel to be permitted into Gaza so that hospitals in the territory can continue to operate. She explained further that half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals have remained closed since the start of the ceasefire, while hospitals still operating struggle to continue providing vital services such as surgery, dialysis and intensive care. It was also noted that the Rafah crossing, the main exit point for the majority of Gaza’s residents, remains closed and medical evacuation operations have been suspended. WHO data indicate around 18,000 people, including injured children and patients with chronic diseases, are waiting for medical evacuation.