In Gaza Hospitals, Power Means 'Life Or Death' Amid Severe Shortages
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) AFP
Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories: Gaza's hospitals have been wracked by strikes, sieges and raids, but on a day-to-day basis, it is the Palestinian territory's acute power shortages that pose an enduring risk to life-saving care.
"Power means life or death in hospitals," said Hiba Tibi, country director for the occupied West bank and Gaza at the international aid group Care.
At Kamal Adwan hospital's maternity ward in northern Gaza, solar panels are the only thing keeping incubators running, five months into the gruelling war.
"This section works on solar energy, so it may stop working at any time as a result of clouds or any change in the weather," said doctor Ahmad al Kahlut.
Kamal Adwan hospital is one of only 12 partly functioning hospitals, out of 36 in the entire war-battered Gaza Strip.
"We hear of newborns dying because there is no electricity for the incubators," said Tibi, as well as children dying when ventilators switch off.
Patients are "dying on the operation table simply because lifesaving machinery is switched off," she added.
According to Kahlut, there are no more functional neonatal care wards in the rest of the coastal territory, piling pressure onto his hospital.
Power generation is a critical issue plaguing Gaza, United Nations agencies have stated since the beginning of the war on October 7.
"Electricity shortages in the north of the Gaza Strip" were still among the top challenges listed Friday by the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA.
MENAFN05032024000063011010ID1107934860
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.