Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Al Nasser hospital, the last hospital providing maternity care in Khan Younis, is grappling with a critical shortage of vital supplies, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned on Thursday, as its medical team tries to handle up to 30 deliveries a day.
Healthcare access in Gaza continues to deteriorate, leading to an alarming rise in pre-term deliveries and malnutrition among children in southern Gaza, MSF said in a statement.
“The main health risks for pregnant women are blood-pressure-related complications such as eclampsia, haemorrhage, and sepsis, which can become deadly if not treated in time,” said MSF emergency unit health adviser Mercè Rocaspana. “In contexts like Gaza, late access to care poses a severe risk to the health of pregnant women and their children, which can be tragic or even lethal.”
Between June 29 and July 5, the pediatric emergency department recorded over 2,600 consultations, MSF added, with staff attending to more than 300 children daily. Many children are forced to share beds, pushing the pediatric services beyond capacity.
“We are seeing malnourished children, an issue never seen in Gaza before,” said MSF project medical referent Joanne Perry. “People are living in tents with minimal access to clean water and poor sanitation. Bombing has devastated sewage and water systems, resulting in diarrhoea, dehydration, hepatitis A, and skin infections among children.”
The destruction of infrastructure has created severe obstacles for pregnant women attempting to reach medical facilities. Many must navigate unsafe routes amidst the fighting and without safe transportation, delaying access to healthcare and increasing the risk of complications, said MSF. Postpartum, women return to unsanitary conditions, often in tents, where lack of food and constant stress further endanger their health and that of their newborns, the organisation added.
“Some women are delivering prematurely, often with postpartum complications exacerbated by their living conditions,” said MSF nursing team supervisor Mohamad, working in the neonatal intensive care unit of Al Nasser hospital.
The neonatal intensive care unit, supported by MSF, is equipped with 29 beds and incubators for high-risk newborns. However, the lack of supplies and resources remains a significant challenge.
