On Saturday, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip warned of the suspension of transportation and ambulance services, stressing that the remaining vehicles are no longer fit to meet the daily needs, in light of the continuation of the Israeli siege and the prevention of tires and spare parts. And the ministry said, in a statement: “The remaining vehicles of the dilapidated transport and ambulance services are no longer suitable for meeting the daily needs,” in light of the accumulation of technical faults and the lack of spare parts. And she added that Israel’s continued siege of the Strip, and “preventing the entry of tires and spare parts, may put us in front of the scene of complete paralysis in the transportation system.” She pointed out that the buses of the transport companies contracting with the ministry are working in difficult technical and mechanical conditions, with the periodic maintenance work stopped for months, as a result of the lack of spare parts. The ministry has warned of the repercussions of stopping transportation services, and the impact it may have on the arrival of medical staff and patients to health care delivery places.
Last April, the ministry was alerted to the dangers of a state of deterioration that threaten the continuity of the work of the health sector in Gaza, especially the ambulance, emergency and transport sectors, as a result of the severe shortage of fuel, oils and spare parts. In its statements, the ministry says that the continued prevention of tires, oils and spare parts impedes the maintenance of ambulance and transport vehicles, and threatens to stop working, in light of the increasing medical needs in the sector.
