What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
NEW DELHI: In a dire development, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Thursday that northern Gaza is now without a functional hospital, facing a severe shortage of fuel, staff, and essential supplies. According to the WHO, only nine out of 36 health facilities in the entire Gaza Strip are partially operational, and these are concentrated in the southern region.
Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in Gaza, revealed the alarming situation during a video conference from Jerusalem, stating, “There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north.” He described Al-Ahli Hospital, the last remaining facility in the area, as a “shell of a hospital” providing minimal care with limited resources. The hospital, overwhelmed with patients requiring emergency care, lacks operating theatres due to shortages in fuel, power, medical supplies, and health workers, including surgeons and specialists.
Peeperkorn emphasised that the bodies of victims from recent Israeli attacks were lined up in Al-Ahli Hospital’s courtyard, highlighting the challenges in providing safe and dignified burials. Apart from Al-Ahli, northern Gaza only has three other minimally functioning health facilities—Al-Shifa, Al Awda, and Al Sahaba hospitals—where thousands of displaced people are seeking refuge. Patients at Al-Ahli, some awaiting surgeries for weeks, face the risk of post-operation infections due to the scarcity of antibiotics and essential drugs.
The WHO representative urgently called for a humanitarian ceasefire to reinforce and restock the remaining health facilities, deliver essential medical services to the injured, and halt the ongoing bloodshed and loss of life in the region. The plea underscores the critical need for immediate international intervention to address the escalating health crisis in Gaza.
