play videoplay video
Video duration 01 minutes 05 seconds 01:05
Palestinian Minister of Health Mai Al-Kaila warned of the seriousness of health conditions in the Gaza Strip and the large and rapid spread of epidemics, describing these conditions as “catastrophic,” as a result of the severe shortage of health personnel, equipment, medicines, and health points available for shelter centers.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian News and Information Agency (Wafa) quoted Al-Kaila as saying, “There are 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip, 14 of which are partially operating, 9 in the south and 5 in the north,” noting that the partial operation is not enough to meet the health needs in the Gaza Strip. The majority of primary health care clinics are not working.
Al-Kaila warned of the large outbreak of epidemics in the Gaza Strip, stressing the need to pay attention to providing vaccines to children.
She said, "There are 325 shelter centers, 150 of which have one health point, and the remaining 175 centers do not have a health point," adding that more than 1,100 medical personnel in the Gaza Strip were killed or wounded.
Al-Kaila warned of the effect of the decomposition of bodies under the rubble, which constitutes an environmental disaster that helps spread epidemics. This is due to the lack of equipment and manpower capable of removing the martyrs from under the rubble.
Al-Kaila touched on the cessation of some countries from paying financial allocations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA), noting that "it will have serious repercussions, especially in light of what our people are exposed to in the Gaza Strip."
Source: German + Qatar News Agency (QNA)