The Gaza Ministry of Health warns of an imminent crisis in medical laboratories and blood banks.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza warned on Sunday of an imminent crisis in medical laboratory services and blood banks. This crisis is a result of a severe shortage of laboratory supplies and essential testing materials, in addition to a severe shortage of supplies at blood banks and a shortage of blood units.

The Director of the Ministry's Laboratories Department, Ms. Sahar Ghanem, indicated that the percentage of laboratory testing materials with a balance of less than a month reached 48.7%, while the percentage of laboratory consumables and supplies with a balance of less than a month reached 48.2%.

She pointed out that this sharp decline directly threatens the continuity of laboratory diagnostic and blood transfusion services, at a time when the sector is facing a health catastrophe with the rising number of wounded and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

The Director of the Laboratories Department also pointed out that the occupation forces deliberately destroyed laboratory equipment within health facilities, crippling the health system and medical personnel's ability to diagnose patients and the wounded. The destruction rate of hospital laboratories reached approximately 50%, while the destruction rate of primary care laboratories reached approximately 60%. She noted that 514 laboratory devices were out of service.

Ghanem called on international and humanitarian agencies to take urgent action to provide the necessary support and ensure the continued operation of laboratories and blood banks, thus helping to preserve the minimum basic medical services for patients and the wounded in the Gaza Strip.