Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza: We are Experiencing A Medical Equipment Crisis

Gaza, MINA – The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the lives of patients in Gaza were at great risk because Israel did not allow medical equipment into the city.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health under Hamas said Israel had banned necessary medical equipment from entering Gaza Strip hospitals for more than a year, Arab News reported on Tuesday.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Israel’s ban on medical diagnostic devices was a violation of the right of Palestinians to receive treatment guaranteed by international humanitarian law.

Palestinian Health Ministry official Medhat Abbas highlighted the medical equipment crisis with a demonstration in which dozens of ambulances and medical teams participated at the Erez Crossing, at the northern end of the Gaza Strip.

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They drove along the road parallel to the eastern border until they reached the location where the Great Return March demonstrations took place several years ago, east of Gaza City.
Abbas said the Israeli occupation had prevented the entry of interventional catheter devices, digital X-ray machines and mobile X-ray machines.

The ban is not limited to medical equipment needed for hospitals in Gaza. It also prevents the entry of spare parts for damaged equipment in Gaza and the transfer of equipment for repairs outside.

He accused Israel of exposing patients in intensive care and those with cancer, heart disease, stroke and complex fractures to health risks because they were deprived of devices that identify health problems and necessary medical interventions.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health asked relevant agencies to put direct pressure on Israel to bring medical and diagnostic equipment and spare parts for faulty equipment to save patients in the Gaza Strip.

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Patients have been forced to be transferred to other hospitals outside the Gaza Strip, including hospitals in Jerusalem or the West Bank, and some in Egypt and Jordan, to get a diagnosis before starting treatment because of a lack of medical equipment. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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