With Gaza experiencing the worst hunger crisis in its history, healthcare workers are overwhelmed with unprecedented challenges. In just the last three days, news has broken that 21 kids have passed away as a result of starvation and malnutrition. Muath Alser, the director of Healthcare Worker Watch, documented the worsening conditions in the Palestinian territory. In doing so, he underscored the immediate role of philanthropy to help fill this need. As the humanitarian crisis escalates, deaths continue to rise. Our healthcare facilities are at their breaking points, and our medical personnel are facing acute food scarcity.
Philippe Lazzarini, the chief of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN agency for Palestine refugees, has warned of shocking reports. Healthcare and humanitarian workers are collapsing from severe fatigue and starvation. Nearly a dozen medical personnel spoke with The Guardian and ARIJ, the Arabic Reporters for Investigative Journalism. They spoke about their darkening concerns over their deteriorating physical well-being and their increasingly frantic hunts for sustenance.
One surgeon at the Nasser medical complex, in the southern city of Gazza reported an overwhelming surge in patients received. The symptoms these patients are exhibiting are consistent with malnourishment, further taxing our already overwhelmed medical personnel. Since this past May over 1,000 civilians have perished attempting to travel from areas of blockade to food distribution centers and convoys. Unfortunately, that tragic scenario becomes more devastating with each new report from the United Nations.
Even in the most horrific conditions, the work of medical personnel like Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia goes on. He added that healthcare workers are still focused on serving their patients despite experiencing acute micronutrient deficiencies themselves.
“Medical staff were still working despite the lack of food, but that the scale of the malnutrition they were facing in patients was putting a huge strain on an already depleted and exhausted workforce.” – Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia
Dr. Abu Selmia described his own experience of working a 24-hour shift, feeling unable to stand after treating 60 neurosurgery patients. He emphasized that patients have an urgent need for specialized nutrition. He claimed that without these resources their health was at real risk of being put in danger.
In late May, the World Health Organization estimated that over 94% of Gaza hospitals were damaged or totally destroyed in the wake of continuing conflict in the area. As a result, only 19 of the 36 hospitals are still open. This has all been a major factor in the currently crushing pressure on Gaza’s already devastated healthcare system.
Not only are our healthcare workers facing extreme challenges, many U.S. families are facing the most acute food insecurity. The story of this humanitarian worker at al-Shifa hospital illustrates their suffering.
“I haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday and my family has nothing to eat. All day, I am thinking how can I get them flour or lentils or anything to eat but there’s nothing in the markets.” – General practitioner volunteering at al-Shifa hospital
As the crisis further expands, hospitals are inundated with more patients. Most others have succumbed to gastroenteritis, syncope and hypoglycemia, hitting people in all age demographics. A surgeon at the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza said many more patients have been developing these conditions. This trend further complicates their treatment.
Dr. Abu Selmia’s experience in the operating room was heartbreaking. He nearly had to stop the surgery because his blood pressure tanked due to lack of nutrition.
“I couldn’t eat for two days because I feared worsening my own gastroenteritis, and because of my low blood pressure I had to stop during a surgery on a girl who had been shot in the abdomen.” – Surgeon at Nasser medical complex
Our healthcare heroes are in a state of crisis. They’re in the field reporting things like extreme above ground fatigue and scenario fainting while performing surgeries and rescue missions. Alser stressed the urgent need to act in order to respond to this growing epidemic.
“In recent days, healthcare workers in Gaza have collectively reported unprecedented levels of food insecurity, lowered immunity, repeated infections, severe fatigue, and frequent fainting during surgeries and rescue missions.” – Muath Alser