Gaza health director: Medicine shortages pose serious risks

GAZA, Nov. 10 (YPA) – Munir al-Bursh, the director of Gaza’s Health Ministry, said that a shortage of medicines is “the most dangerous manifestation of the health system’s collapse” in the enclave.

In a post on his Facebook page, al-Barsh said that around 350,000 people in Gaza suffer from chronic diseases and require continuous treatment.

He explained that since the ceasefire, only 60 trucks carrying medical supplies have entered the Strip—representing just 10% of the Ministry of Health’s needs, and that these supplies did not include essential medicines.

Al-Barsh added that there are approximately 12,000 cancer patients in Gaza who rely on multiple treatment protocols, warning that “the absence of even one medication means treatment comes to a halt.”

He said the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the main facility for cancer care, was destroyed in Israeli attacks.

Al-Barsh added that deaths among patients with chronic illnesses have increased, noting that around 40% of kidney dialysis patients have died due to displacement, lack of treatment, and the destruction of health centers and medical databases.

Al-Bursh stressed that the ongoing shortage of medicine and supplies constitutes a “health genocide,” with many patients facing a slow death. He pointed out that dialysis sessions have been cut from four hours to just one hour “just to keep patients alive,” a situation affecting around 650 patients

@E.Y.M