As Gaza’s Hospitals Overflow, Doctors Warn Of Risks From Supply Shortages
The "impossible" situation faced by physicians in Gaza is explained by news sources, including the difficulty of evacuating hospitals, and issues from fuel and basic supplies shortages. Meanwhile, a lack of clean water in Gaza is spurring health worries for the population.
AP:
Israel-Hamas War: Gaza Hospitals Warn That Thousands Could Die If Supplies Run Out
Medics in Gaza warned Sunday that thousands could die as hospitals packed with wounded people ran desperately low on fuel and basic supplies. Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave struggled to find food, water and safety ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive in the war sparked by Hamas’ deadly attack. Israeli forces, supported by a growing deployment of U.S. warships in the region, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. A week of blistering airstrikes have demolished entire neighborhoods but failed to stem militant rocket fire into Israel. (Jobain, Kullab and Nessman, 10/15)
The Guardian:
‘People Are Terrified’: Gaza’s Main Hospital Overflows With The Living And The Dead
At Gaza City’s Dar Al Shifa hospital, the living sleep between beds filled with patients, in corridors, and even in the grounds, while the dead overflow the morgue. ... Shifa is not just Gaza’s largest medical facility, but the nerve centre of its entire healthcare system, and the Israeli assault on the territory has brought it to breaking point. Local authorities and aid groups in Gaza estimate that between 35,000 and 40,000 people are sheltering there. ... “The crowding is going to lead to an infectious disease outbreak. There is an impending public health catastrophe at Shifa hospital,” said Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah.
The New York Times:
Gaza’s Hospitals Face ‘Impossible’ Choices With Israel Evacuation Order
“It’s absolutely impossible to evacuate the hospital,” said Dr. Muhammad Abu Salima, the director of Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest medical complex. “There is nowhere in Gaza that can accept the number of patients in our intensive care unit or neonatal intensive care unit or even the operating rooms.” (Abdulrahim, 10/15)
On the water crisis in Gaza —
AP:
Gaza's Limited Water Supply Raises Concerns For Human Health
A lack of clean water in the Gaza Strip is raising major concerns for human health. “Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life,” said Philippe Lazzarini, chief of the U.N. agency for Palestinians. Gaza normally gets its water supplies from a combination of sources, including a pipeline from Israel, desalination plants on the Mediterranean Sea and wells. Those supplies were slashed when Israel cut off water, along with the fuel and electricity that power water and sewage plants, in the wake of the Hamas attacks. (Burakoff, 10/16)
Reuters:
In Gaza, People Resort To Drinking Salty Water, Garbage Piles Up
As Israeli air strikes pounded the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground offensive, the enclave's residents were getting more desperate by the hour as water runs out, garbage piles up, explosions flatten homes and hospitals struggle to cope. Desperate to get some drinking water, some people began digging wells in areas adjacent to the sea or were relying on salty tap water from Gaza's only aquifer, which is contaminated with sewage and seawater. (Al-Mughrabi, 10/16)
In other global health news —
Reuters:
Deadly Indonesian Cough Syrup Was Almost Pure Toxin, Court Papers Show
An Indonesian drugmaker whose cough syrup is among products linked to the deaths of more than 200 children last year used ingredients with toxin concentrations of up to 99% in 70 batches of medicine, prosecutors said in a court filing. The accusations against drugmaker Afi Farma were made in a court in Kediri, in the province of East Java, where the company is based, and Reuters is the first to report the charge that it used highly toxic ingredients. (Widianto, 10/15)
Reuters:
Italy To Charge Foreigners 2,000 Euros A Year For Health Service
Foreigners who live in Italy will be able to use the national health service after paying a 2,000-euro ($2,109) annual fee, the government said on Monday. The charge, part of the 2024 budget adopted by the cabinet, will apply only to citizens from outside the European Union, the economy ministry said in a statement. ... Foreign workers, job seekers, asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors currently have access to free healthcare, like Italian nationals. (10/16)
