GAZA, (PIC)
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has warned of a rapidly worsening crisis in medicines, medical supplies, and laboratory materials, saying dozens of essential items have completely run out, threatening the collapse of critical healthcare services across the besieged territory.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said 47 percent of essential medicines are now at zero stock levels, while 59 percent of medical consumables and 87 percent of laboratory testing materials have also been depleted.
Officials said the shortages are directly affecting lifesaving services, particularly treatment for cancer and blood diseases, primary healthcare, dialysis services, mental health treatment, and emergency care.
The ministry added that critical shortages also include supplies used in eye surgeries, cardiac catheterization procedures, and kidney dialysis, alongside laboratory materials needed for blood analysis, blood gas testing, and clinical chemistry examinations.
The shortages are severely limiting hospitals and laboratories’ ability to conduct essential diagnostic tests.
Health authorities warned that the continuing depletion of supplies is placing enormous strain on exhausted medical teams and increasing the risk of severe complications among patients and wounded civilians.
Mohammad Abu Afash, director of medical relief operations in northern Gaza, said the healthcare system has reached “its worst stage” since the start of the war due to ongoing restrictions on the entry of medical aid and essential supplies.
Meanwhile, Bassam Zaqout warned that shortages of medical equipment and the continued closure of crossings threaten the lives of thousands of wounded people and chronically ill patients.
He also cautioned about the growing risk of a wider health and environmental disaster as temperatures rise and summer approaches.
Medical institutions across Gaza have warned that laboratories themselves are now at risk of shutting down because of the depletion of chemical compounds and acids required to operate diagnostic equipment, while incoming medical aid covers only a fraction of the healthcare sector’s urgent needs.
The crisis comes as Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure continues to collapse under the impact of the war. According to health officials, 26 out of Gaza’s 38 hospitals are now out of service due to direct attacks or fuel shortages, with medical authorities describing conditions as “catastrophic” and beyond the healthcare system’s capacity to manage.
Doctors have also warned of worsening conditions for heart patients after catheterization services stopped in several hospitals because of shortages in tools and medical consumables, preventing urgent life-saving interventions.
At the same time, the medical evacuation crisis continues to deepen. Estimates from the World Health Organization and Gaza’s Health Ministry indicate that more than 18,000 wounded and seriously ill patients require urgent evacuation for treatment outside the territory amid the near-collapse of Gaza’s hospitals.
Health officials accuse Israeli authorities of using lengthy “security screening” procedures to obstruct patient evacuations, with some patients reportedly dying before receiving permission to travel for treatment.
