Al-Shifa Hospital engineers repair medical devices using salvaged parts

Engineers at Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip are repurposing parts from broken medical diagnostic equipment to repair other machines. Due to the blockade and restrictions on spare parts entering the region, technicians are unable to procure new components to replace those damaged during military operations since October 2023.

Ahmed Yunus, an engineer in the hospital’s Medical Devices Maintenance Department, stated that they have successfully restored six ultrasound machines and three mobile X-ray machines by dismantling irreparable devices and using their functional parts. Yunus noted that approximately 15 percent of the hospital's devices have been made reusable through these efforts, though he emphasized that most damaged equipment requires complete replacement.

The World Health Organization has previously reported extensive damage to the hospital's infrastructure, noting that many buildings have been destroyed or heavily damaged, leaving much of the medical equipment unusable.