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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DELIVERS AID TO AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL, CALLS EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT A "BLOODBATH"
The World Health Organization (WHO) organized a joint mission with the United Nations (UN) to deliver medical supplies and aid to al-Shifa Hospital complex, located in Rimal, a neighborhood in the north of Gaza City.
The WHO describes al-Shifa Hospital as "currently minimally functional" and "needs to resume at least basic operations" in order to continue serving the "thousands in need of life saving healthcare," according to a Press release.
The WHO mission delivered medicines, surgical supplies, orthopedic surgery equipment, anesthesia materials and drugs to al-Shifa Hospital.
Al-Shifa Hospital had been Gaza's largest hospital complex, however, since an Occupation raid on the complex launched on November 15th and multiple strikes by Occupation war planes, al-Shifa now houses only a handful of doctors, a few nurses, and approximately 70 volunteers.
WHO staff described the hospital complex as suffering from "unbelievably challenging circumstances" and called it a "hospital in need of resuscitation."
Operating rooms and other major services remain non-functional due to a lack of fuel, oxygen, specialized medical staff and supplies.
The hospital is currently only capable of providing basic trauma stabilization, but has no blood for transfusion and is nearly empty of staff to care for the constant flow of patients. Dialysis is being provided to approximately 30 patients a day, with the dialysis machines operating 24/7.
The WHO team described the Emergency Department of al-Shifa as a "bloodbath", with hundreds of injured Palestinians inside, and new patients arriving every minute.
Patients with trauma injuries are being sutured on the floor, with only limited, if any, pain management.
WHO staff says the Emergency Department at al-Shifa is so full, that extra care must be taken not to step on the patients lying on the floor. More critical patients are being transferred to al-Ahli Arab Hospital for surgeries, a local hospital located in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
The WHO points out that tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are using the hospital building and grounds for shelter, arguing a more prolonged, multi-pronged approach is needed to provide them with food, water and shelter.
Al-Shifa Hospital continues to experience a severe shortage of food and safe, potable water for health worker, patients, and displaced Palestinians.
"This reflects grave and growing concerns around persistent hunger across the Gaza Strip, and the consequences of malnutrition on people’s health and susceptibility to infectious diseases," the WHO said.
Currently, al-Ahli Arab Hospital remains the only hospital partially functional hospital in north Gaza, along with three minimally functional hospitals- al-Shifa, Al Awda and the Al Sahaba Medical Complex- down from the 24 that existed before Israel's genocide war on Palestinians in Gaza began on October 7th.
