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Gaza healthcare system nears collapse amid critical medical shortages
The healthcare system in the Gaza Strip is facing imminent collapse due to severe shortages of medical equipment, oxygen, and essential maintenance supplies. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that over 50% of medical devices in hospitals have been destroyed, with more than 55% of equipment in intensive care and kidney treatment sectors lost. Notably, there are currently no functional MRI machines in the territory.
Critical shortages of motor oil and spare parts are threatening the operation of hospital generators, which are vital for electricity due to damage to the main grid. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports that the price of motor oil has surged approximately 20-fold in six months, reaching roughly $1,300 per liter in late July. This scarcity risks leaving patients on life support, newborns in incubators, and those requiring emergency surgery without power.
Oxygen supplies are also reaching a breaking point. Only 12 of 34 oxygen stations remain operational, and just 4 of 30 cylinder-filling devices are functional. At the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the number of working oxygen stations has dropped from 10 to two, forcing staff to rely on a single central station in northern Gaza. These combined shortages are forcing hospitals to limit surgeries to only the most life-saving cases and suspend radiology and sterilization services.
Entities
Al-Shifa Medical Complex · Doctors Without Borders · Gaza Ministry of Health · Gaza Strip · Khalil al-Dakran · Mohammed Abu Salmiya · Palestinian Medical Relief Societies
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Only 4 out of 30 oxygen cylinder filling devices are currently functional. www.alaraby.co.uk
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Al-Shifa Medical Complex has seen its oxygen station capacity drop from 10 to just two. www.alaraby.co.uk
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Only 12 out of 34 oxygen stations in Gaza remain operational. www.alaraby.co.uk
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Over 55% of medical devices in kidney disease and intensive care sectors have been destroyed. www.elbalad.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] There are currently no functional MRI machines in the Gaza Strip. www.elbalad.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The price of motor oil in Gaza has increased approximately 20-fold over the last six months. www.malatyaguncel.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] More than 50% of medical equipment in hospitals and health facilities has been destroyed. www.elbalad.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The price of one liter of motor oil reached approximately $1,300 in late July. www.malatyaguncel.com