WHO announces most medical supplies in Gaza run out

GAZA, May 27 (YPA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Monday that most medical supplies in Gaza have run out, along with 42 percent of essential medicines, including painkillers.

“We have reached zero stocks for approximately 64 percent of medical equipment and 42 percent of essential medicines and vaccines,” Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, told reporters in Geneva.

She added that 51 WHO aid trucks were waiting on the Gaza border and had not yet received permits to enter the Palestinian enclave.

“Can you imagine a surgeon treating a broken bone without anesthesia? Intravenous fluids, needles, and bandages are not available in sufficient quantities,” Balkhy said, adding that essential medicines, such as antibiotics, painkillers, and medications for chronic diseases, are in short supply. “After an 11-week blockade, Israel allowed 100 aid trucks carrying flour, baby food, and medical equipment into the Gaza Strip on May 21, none of which were from the World Health Organization.”

AA