Yesterday, Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip accused Israel of "depriving 40% of cancer patients in the Strip from their right to treatment abroad."
This came in the words of the head of the oncology department at the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Khaled Thabet, in conjunction with World Cancer Day, which falls on the fourth of February of each year.
Thabet said that "Israel deprives 40% of cancer patients in the Strip from their right to treatment abroad," and that "cancer patients in the Strip face multiple challenges that increase the severity of their health conditions."
"The most prominent challenges are the restrictions imposed by Israel, which deny patients their right to treatment and prevent the entry of necessary medicines for them," he added.
He pointed out that hospitals in Gaza suffer from a significant shortage of radiotherapy services needed for oncology patients, forcing them to compulsorily refer patients for treatment abroad.
In a report issued yesterday, Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the registration of 5,320 new patients with cancer during 2021, including 1,952 cases in the Gaza Strip.
The ministry said that "cancer is the third cause of death in Palestine."
In the same context, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights called for "an end to Israeli obstacles to Palestinian access to healthcare services."
The non-governmental center said, in a statement issued on the occasion of World Cancer Day, that "continuing to ban the entry of medical devices and equipment needed to diagnose oncology patients in Gaza entails real risks that threaten the lives of patients and multiply their suffering and pain."
World Cancer Day is an annual event organized by the International Federation for Cancer Control to raise global awareness of the dangers of cancer, through prevention, early detection and treatment.