Amid the suffering inflicted by the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, the corridors of Hamad Hospital have become a beacon of hope, where Palestinian children and wounded individuals undergo intensive medical rehabilitation programs after losing their mobility due to severe injuries sustained during the bombardment.
Inside the medical rehabilitation department, a long journey begins to rebuild the body and restore motor functions, in a poignant scene that reflects both the magnitude of the tragedy and the will to live.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Awiti, head of the medical rehabilitation department at the hospital, says that rehabilitation is an essential part of treating the wounded, not merely a subsequent stage.
He adds that the department provides services for brain and spinal cord injuries, strokes, peripheral nerve injuries, and amputations, which have affected a large number of war victims.
Al-Awiti points out that the rehabilitation journey begins after the emergency phase of the injury and extends for many months, sometimes up to a year, with the aim of minimizing disability and transforming the injured person from someone dependent on others into an independent individual capable of returning to a normal and productive life.
He explains that the current capacity of the rehabilitation department includes 20 beds for inpatient care and 14 beds for day services, in addition to receiving large numbers of patients in outpatient clinics of different ages and injuries, in light of the increasing number of people injured as a result of the war.
In poignant testimonies from within the ward, one of the injured children spoke of his improved health after just three weeks in the rehabilitation program. He explained that he was completely unable to move his limbs before arriving at the hospital, but today he is gradually regaining his mobility.
Another child recounted how he was shot in the head by Israeli forces, affecting the left side of his body. He emphasized that rehabilitation treatment had brought about a significant transformation in his condition, enabling him to stand and walk again after being completely immobile.
These children’s stories encapsulate the magnitude of the human tragedy left by the war, but at the same time, they highlight the vital role of medical rehabilitation in restoring life to those whose injuries have robbed them of their ability to move. The hospital rooms have become daily workshops for rebuilding hope.
