Critical Conditions in Gaza: Hospitals, Water, Sanitation, and Food Security on the Brink of Collapse

2023-10-21 16:51:00

OCHA: “Hospitals are on the brink of collapse” as water, sanitation and food security deteriorate

A man carries a dead body to an ice cream refrigerator due to insufficient hospital morgues in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on October 14. (Credit: Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned this Friday that hospitals in Gaza are “on the brink of collapse.”

In a statement, OCHA said there are shortages of energy, medicines, equipment and specialized personnel. The number of patients being treated or waiting to be treated is at 150% of the hospitals’ capacity, and there are people lying on the floors and hallways, according to OCHA.

OCHA says the situation became even worse because 60% of primary health care centers closed in Gaza.

“Only eight (out of 22) UNRWA health centers in Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah governorates provide primary health care services to critical outpatients and patients needing treatment for non-communicable diseases,” the statement said. .

The water situation in Gaza also remains dire.

“Water production from municipal underground sources is less than 5% of the pre-hostilities level. The three seawater desalination plants, which before the hostilities produced 7% of Gaza’s water supply, are currently not are operational. Water trucking operations have stopped in most areas due to lack of fuel, insecurity and roads blocked by debris,” OCHA said.

“Bottled water is largely unavailable and its price has made it unaffordable for most families. “Private providers, operating small desalination and water purification plants, mostly solar-powered, became the main suppliers of drinking water,” the OCHA statement said.

Sanitation is also becoming an issue because “most of the 65 sewage pumping stations are not operational.” The five wastewater treatment plants in Gaza were closed due to lack of power, so much wastewater is discharged into the sea. Access to landfills is also difficult, so garbage begins to accumulate.

Food security is unstable. OCHA says three of the five World Food Program (WFP) bakeries in Gaza closed this Friday due to fuel shortages and a lack of ingredients. Wheat flour throughout Gaza might run out in “regarding five days” and only one of Gaza’s five mills is currently operational, according to OCHA.

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