Gaza’s Healthcare Crisis: A Struggle for Basic Services Amid System Collapse
TL/DR –
The healthcare system in Gaza is suffering from collapse, especially in displacement camps, due to a lack of sanitation and safe drinking water, and harsh living conditions. The collapse of the healthcare system is particularly impactful for diseases that require long-term care, such as diabetes and hypertension, as transportation costs and the distances required to travel to healthcare facilities can be prohibitive for many patients in these camps. The author expresses an urgent need for intervention in the healthcare situation, focusing on rebuilding hospitals and reestablishing basic care clinics to reach the most vulnerable in the camps.
Gaza’s Healthcare Crisis Worsens Amidst Continued Collapse
Gaza’s healthcare system, despite not making headlines recently, is facing ongoing deterioration. The struggles are most evident in displacement camps, home to the most impoverished and vulnerable citizens. The healthcare system’s limited resources fail to reach those in dire need due to lack of sanitation, safe drinking water, and severe weather conditions, exacerbating the healthcare crisis.
Recently, I visited an informal camp at the ruined Hassan Salama school in Gaza City’s Nasr neighborhood. The school was bombed in August 2024 along with another nearby school, leaving at least 30 dead. Today, hundreds of war victims live in tents within the schoolyard and the remnants of the school building. The camp, unfortunately, lacks any form of organization or provision of services, including medical.
During a day-long visit, I joined a team of local medics from a private clinic offering free check-ups in the camp. Our team saw around 150 patients suffering from a variety of complaints ranging from high blood pressure, chronic diseases such as diabetes and kidney complications, to infections including hepatitis and scabies. Many children were found to have chickenpox, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and respiratory infections.
Seeking medical help has become an almost impossible task for many patients in displacement camps. They are hindered by transportation costs, lengthy distances, exhaustion due to displacement, and extreme heat. This often leads to delays in medical attention despite their pressing needs. For example, a 46-year-old patient with a shrapnel-caused foot injury and hypertension problems couldn’t reach the partially-functioning Al Rantisi Hospital nearby. He would’ve had to pay at least $8 for transportation to the nearest health facility – an exorbitant sum for most camp residents.
Delaying medical care, combined with a lack of medication and harsh living conditions, can exacerbate diseases, sometimes with fatal consequences. This could be prevented with the return of basic healthcare to Gaza, potentially under a large organization like UNRWA.
After the Nakba, UNRWA played a crucial role in establishing basic healthcare for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, setting up clinics in each refugee camp. Before the war, UNRWA ran 22 clinics across the Gaza Strip. According to a recent report, only six are now operational. Just 19 of Gaza’s 34 hospitals are partially functioning with most wards in these hospitals non-operational due to sustained destruction.
In the entirety of the Gaza Strip, there are merely 2,200 inpatient beds available for 2 million people – a stark contrast to pre-war times when Al Shifa Hospital alone had 700 beds. Many medical services, including lab tests, surgeries, and treatments, are no longer available due to lack of supplies and trained medical professionals.
The destruction of medical facilities and displacement of Gaza’s residents have transformed healthcare from a right to a privilege. An urgent healthcare intervention is needed, focusing on not only rebuilding hospitals but also re-establishing basic care clinics and reaching the most vulnerable in displacement camps.
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