The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip warned of an imminent threat to the continued operation of hospitals, as the shortage of fuel oil and spare parts needed to run generators worsens, potentially leading to their complete shutdown in the near future.
In a press conference on Sunday, the Ministry reported that 90 generators have completely ceased functioning, while 38 are operating with limited fuel supplies, and 11 others require urgent maintenance. Hospitals rely heavily on these generators due to the ongoing power outages.
The Ministry emphasized that the generator shutdowns will directly impact vital departments, particularly intensive care units, neonatal units, and dialysis units, endangering patients’ lives and exacerbating the already precarious health situation within medical facilities.
The Ministry also noted that power cuts are causing the spoilage of sensitive medications, vaccines, and blood units, as well as the malfunction of delicate medical equipment due to fluctuating power supply or reliance on unstable energy sources.
Furthermore, the Ministry explained that surgical procedures are now limited to emergency cases only, given the reduced operational capacity of hospitals, further increasing patient suffering and delaying the provision of essential medical services. The ministry warned that the continuation of the crisis will exacerbate the humanitarian situation, with the disruption of health services to hundreds of thousands of citizens, renewing its appeal to humanitarian, human rights and health authorities to intervene urgently to provide oils and spare parts, before reaching the stage of complete shutdown.
