The World Health Organization confirmed on Sunday that the emergency department at the Shifa Medical Complex in the Gaza Strip had turned into a “bloodbath” and needed “rehabilitation” after it was severely damaged by the Israeli bombing.
The organization explained that a team from it and other United Nations agencies was able, on Saturday, to deliver medical supplies to the Al-Shifa Complex, located in the west of Gaza City (north), which is the largest hospital in the Strip.
She indicated in a statement on Sunday that “tens of thousands of displaced people” had taken refuge in this complex, which “lacked” water and food.
The organization added, “The team that visited the complex described the emergency services as a ‘bloodbath’ with hundreds of injured patients inside and new patients arriving every minute,” noting that patients suffering from trauma are receiving treatment on the ground, and that “measures to relieve pain are very limited and even… Not available.
MEDICAL TEAM LIMITED
The organization reported that the medical complex was working at its minimum capacity with a very limited medical team, and that “patients in serious condition were transferred to the Arab National Hospital (Baptist) to undergo surgical operations.”
The organization’s statement quoted the team that visited Al-Shifa as saying that the hospital also needs a “rehabilitation” process, stressing that only 30 patients are able to undergo dialysis.
The entire health infrastructure in the Gaza Strip was severely damaged as a result of the bombing and ground operations carried out by the Israeli army since October 7.
The Israeli army is relentlessly bombing the Strip, killing 18,800 people, 75% of whom are children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The World Health Organization said it was ready to reinforce the Al-Shifa Complex “in the coming weeks” so that it could resume its basic services.
She explained, “Up to 20 operating rooms can be activated in the hospital, as well as post-operative care services, if it is provided with fuel, oxygen, medicines, food, and water,” noting at the same time the need for employees.
Kamal Adwan Hospital
The National Arab Hospital is currently the only “partially operating” hospital in the entire northern Gaza Strip, with only 3 hospitals operating on a limited basis: Al-Shifa, Al-Awda, and Al-Sahaba. Before the war, there were 24 hospitals in this area.
The World Health Organization also expressed its concern about Kamal Adwan Hospital. On December 13, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the Israeli army opened fire on patient rooms in the besieged hospital.
