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Today's Paper | December 17, 2024

Published 25 Jan, 2024 02:45pm

‘Urgent action’: Gaza at risk of complete medical shut down

Immediate action is required to prevent a complete shutdown of medical services in Gaza, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned, Al Jazeera reports.

“Every functioning hospital in the Gaza Strip is overcrowded and short on medical supplies, fuel, food and water. Many are housing thousands of displaced families. And now two more facilities risk being lost due to the fighting,” said William Schomburg, head of the ICRC’s office in Gaza.

“The cumulative impact on the health system is devastating and urgent action must be taken.”

The Nasser Medical Complex and the European Hospital are the primary referral hospitals in the south of Gaza that serve about two million people, offering critical surgical and emergency medical services.

However, their existing capacity falls far short of meeting current demands for care, ICRC said.

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