The health system in Gaza faces a severe shortage of the necessary means to treat patients, especially laboratory testing materials, as the Ministry of Health in the sector says that 86% of these materials are out of service. The severe shortage of laboratory testing materials means the cessation of vital services, including blood tests, chronic and contagious diseases, in light of an ongoing Israeli blockade and disruption of supply chains. Basic diagnostic services are disrupted. Rania Al-Helou, a medical analysis specialist, says that the severe shortage of laboratory testing materials is increasing day by day, and there are no signs of improving conditions, noting that they are losing patients due to their inability to follow up on their cases. And she adds from Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City that the deficit affects blood gases, salts and heart enzymes, and there are heart patients whose condition is not followed, in addition to dialysis and tumors patients, as a result of the severe shortage of basic medical materials. The impact of the crisis extends to patients who are waiting for tests that may determine the fate of their treatment, such as cancer patients and others.
A patient complains that she hasn’t had any tests for 3 months, and when she goes to the doctor, she tells her that the testing material is not available, such as blood test, potassium and phosphorous. Examinations are considered the gateway to treatment, and without them the patient and the doctor lose the ability to cope with the disease, and Al-Jazeera correspondent says that the chances of treatment are diminishing with the exacerbation of the crisis in the Gaza Strip. The health crisis in Gaza is part of an all-out war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, leaving thousands of patients facing an imminent danger due to the depletion of medicines and medical materials necessary for treatment.
