2023-11-12 05:15:00
Al Jazeera Net correspondents
Gaza – From one pharmacy to another, a “displaced” Gazan woman moves in the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, accompanied by her three children suffering from vomiting, searching for a medicine to stop it, to no avail, and following the pharmacist Iyad Abu Daqqa apologized to her, explaining that the injections used to stop it had run out. He advised her to go to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, expressing his pessimism that she would find medicine there.
In his interview with Al Jazeera Net, Abu Daqqa warned that the woman’s children will suffer from dehydration if she is not able to treat them. Abu Daqqa, the owner of a private pharmacy, says, “Medications are running out in private pharmacies and government hospitals. This will cause a disaster.”
The pharmacist points out that medicines and medical consumables have not entered private pharmacies in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the aggression 36 days ago. He stated that the aid that enters through the Rafah crossing is intended for government hospitals only, and he warned that the quantities of medicines remaining in Gaza’s pharmacies are running out. It is expected that pharmacies will close their doors soon.
Diseases are spreading and medicines are running out
Pharmacist Abu Daqqa mentions that there are diseases spreading among the displaced, due to overcrowding in shelter centers, such as diarrhea, intestinal infections – including severe vomiting – scabies (skin disease), and chickenpox.
Abu Daqqa warned that medicines for these diseases are not available – except rarely – in pharmacies or hospitals, due to the complete siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October. He explains, “Medications for diarrhea and vomiting are not available at all, but as for scabies and chickenpox, there are “There are few medications available, they will run out soon.” As for the medications for the thyroid gland, they have run out.
Abu Daqqa spoke regarding the danger of running out of medications for chronic diseases, which might lead to serious complications on patients’ lives, especially heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, fats, cholesterol, and other diseases. The pharmacist explained, “We have some alternative medications, but they are few and if If they are cut off, there will be a huge deficit,” he said, calling for the provision of a minimum amount of these medicines.
Abu Daqqa points to the problem of losing antibiotic medications, which he considers their interruption to be very dangerous. He says, “Any person who has an infection or wound, or has undergone surgery, will have increased inflammation, weaken wound healing, and will have many complications and problems, if he does not find an antibiotic.” He explains that the majority of painkillers for adults and children, and wound ointments, have run out or are regarding to run out.
The Palestinian pharmacist points out another dilemma facing pharmacies, which is the loss of medical consumables, even in government hospitals. He explains, “There are no wound wraps, or cotton gauze, even traditional antiseptics such as iodine, all of which are not available. If a sick or injured person comes to us, we tell him: There are none.” .
Pharmacies in the northern Gaza Strip are closed
Despite the difficult conditions in the central and southern Gaza Strip, Abu Daqqa points out that they remain in better conditions than the conditions of the pharmacies in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, explaining that the pharmacies there are often closed, due to the seriousness of the security conditions, the severity of the Israeli raids, and the occupation forces’ demands for residents to move to the southern regions.
In this regard, the same pharmacist points out that 70% of the warehouses and drug marketing companies are located in Gaza City, but they are closed, which exacerbates the crisis of drug shortages in the central and southern Gaza Strip. He adds, “We risk ourselves to provide an alternative. We go to the south of the Gaza Strip to buy medicines from the warehouses.” located there.”
Dr. Khalil Al-Dakran: 95% of medicines are missing in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, and infant formula is missing (Al-Jazeera)
The danger of running out of medicines in hospitals
Governmental hospitals are suffering from running out of medicines and medical consumables, at a time when they are receiving tens of thousands of wounded and injured. In this regard, the spokesman for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and the reception and emergency supervisor, Dr. Khalil Al-Dakran, says, “There is a major shortage of medicines, antibiotics, analgesics, and medicines for operating rooms, such as anesthesia medicines. Many medications are needed for kidney patients and nurseries for children.”
The specialist adds – to Al Jazeera Net – that “95% of the medicines are missing in the hospital, and serious injuries are treated with some simple painkillers.” Al-Dakran warns in particular of running out of antibiotic medicines, which causes an increase in wound infection, explaining that the total has reached The Ministry of Health through the Rafah crossing is not enough for 3% of its needs.
Al-Dakran said, “The hospital had to amputate the limbs of some of the wounded following they became infected following performing surgeries on them, due to running out of antibiotics. He also pointed out that medications for intestinal infections, which have spread due to overcrowding in shelter centers and the use of polluted water, are also missing,” and he added, “We receive sick cases at the hospital.” “And there are no medications to treat them.”
The reception and emergency supervisor stated that the hospital directed patients to buy some medications from private pharmacies, but they did not find them there either, which portends a “real health disaster.” He also pointed out that many pregnant women suffered miscarriages as a result of running out of blood-thinning medications that prevent clotting. Blood – tonics and vitamins.
Al-Dakran also touched on the problem of running out of milk needed for nurseries, and said in this regard, “We reduced the number of feedings for children from 3 feedings to one per day, because the milk began to run out, and this may expose the children to danger.” He continued, “We are searching everywhere to obtain a container of milk.” We assign the parents to search, and they in turn travel long distances on foot in search of milk to feed their children.”
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