Pharmaceutical Factory in Gaza Struggles Amid Economic Crisis

Gaza, MINA – The only pharmaceutical factory in the Gaza Strip struggles to survive amid economic crisis. Israel has been blockaded Palestinian coast for 12 years.

The Chairman of Middle East Pharmacy and Cosmetic Laboratory, Marwan al-Astal, said the pharmaceutical factory in Gaza was founded in 1994 by the Middle East Pharmacy and Cosmetics Laboratory, but production began in 1999.

“The factory meets international standards for manufacturing pharmaceutical products,” Marwan said as quoted from Xinhua on Wednesday, October 2.

The pharmaceutical factory employs 60 workers. Two-thirds are pharmacists who produce various medicines to be supplied to the local market.

Marwan acknowledged the drug products were sold with low profit margins to help alleviate the dire economic conditions faced by Gaza peop’e.

According to Marwan, the Israeli blockade and resulting economic crisis could stop pharmaceutical business.

Even so, continued Marwan the factory is still struggling to stay afloat. At present, the factory provides 13 medicines needed by the local market.

He also realized there was a decline in pharmaceutical production that was commonly made and exports to the West Bank and Algeria.

Marwan revealed that the most significant contribution to the decline in factory production capacity was Israel’s repeated attacks on the factory. Even the factory was confiscated by Israeli army for more than three months continuously.

Israeli forces occupied his factory during a large-scale military confrontation with armed Palestinian factions in the northern Gaza Strip.

The problem has not ended, the factory also had several Israeli air strikes, so the factory had to be temporarily closed to repair damage. (T/Sj/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)