Kidney patients in the Gaza Strip issued a desperate plea for help on Tuesday, citing the unprecedented deterioration of healthcare services and the drastic reduction in dialysis treatment time. They warned that the continuation of this situation poses a real threat to their lives. This came during a protest organized by a number of kidney failure patients in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City. They were protesting the reduction in the duration and frequency of dialysis sessions, emphasizing that the ongoing situation endangers their lives and exacerbates their daily suffering.
The protesters held banners calling for the provision of necessary medical supplies and spare parts to operate the dialysis machines at full capacity. They warned that reducing the duration or frequency of dialysis sessions directly impacts the patients’ health and increases the likelihood of serious complications that could lead to death.
The protesters stressed that kidney failure patients are entirely dependent on regular dialysis sessions to survive, emphasizing that any disruption to this essential service means depriving them of their right to treatment, at a time when hospitals are suffering from a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies, frequent power outages, and fuel shortages.
