Shortages of medicines and supplies in Gaza hospitals: Lives on the waiting list

Amid the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip, hospitals face a serious challenge: a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies. This threatens the lives of thousands of patients and injured people, forcing medical teams to race against time to save lives in nearly impossible conditions.

Dr. Sami, a physician at a Gaza hospital, says, "We are working with limited equipment and performing surgeries with minimal resources. There are critical cases that we cannot treat due to a lack of necessary medications or equipment." He adds that many of the injured require intensive care or specialized medications, but these are currently unavailable.

As the number of wounded continues to rise as a result of daily shelling, operating rooms and intensive care units are severely overcrowded, while many hospitals lack the fuel needed to operate generators, threatening to shut down vital equipment such as ventilators and sterilization rooms.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza indicates that drug stocks have significantly decreased, particularly emergency medications, anesthesia, antibiotics, and medications for cancer and kidney patients. It also warned that the continued blockade and the denial of entry of medical supplies will lead to an imminent "health disaster."

Medical staff are making heroic efforts, with doctors and nurses continuing to work long hours without interruption, even as health centers in some areas are being directly targeted. Nurse Nawal says, "We don't think about fatigue or fear. We only think about how to save the life of an injured person right in front of us, even if it's just with a single bandage."

Despite local and international appeals, the crossings remain closed to the entry of sufficient medical supplies, deepening the crisis. Health sector officials are calling on the international community to take urgent action to pressure for the opening of safe humanitarian corridors and the immediate entry of essential medical supplies.

Amid this deteriorating health situation, Gaza's hospitals remain resilient despite the pain, and emergency rooms are filled with hope as they await shipments of medicine that have yet to arrive, while the voices of patients still await treatment.