One month after the start of the conflict, the situation in hospitals is starting to return to normal. In Gaza, however, "normal" is a relative term. Many people who have been seriously wounded or disabled may require medical care for the rest of their lives. And more than just basic humanitarian aid will be needed to keep vital health facilities running adequately.
On 27 December 2008, what seemed to be a never-ending wave of severely wounded and bleeding patients started overwhelming hospital emergency rooms. At ShifaHospital in GazaCity, doctors had to operate on two patients at once in each operating theatre to keep up.
Now, one month later, the numbers of patients arriving have dropped dramatically and the emergency rooms are once again treating patients with less serious injuries. Planned surgery for various diseases that are not life-threatening has also resumed.
Nevertheless, hospitals are still filled with patients who were wounded during the fighting and who now need post-operative care and further treatment. Many of the seriously wounded now have to come to terms with being handicapped for life. An ICRC surgeon and a physiotherapist continue their work at ShifaHospital in GazaCity helping these patients. The physiotherapist works with amputees in particular in order to prepare them to be fitted with artificial limbs.
"It normally takes six months for an amputee to heal," said Eileen Daly, an ICRC health coordinator. "As soon as they are ready, these patients will go to the ICRC-supported Artificial Limb and PolioCenter in GazaCity to be fitted with a device which, it is hoped, can help them walk again."
Short-term emergency aid necessary but not sufficient
According to initial assessments carried out by the ICRC, the three most damaged hospitals in Gaza are Al Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital and Nursing Home, Al Dorra Paediatric Hospital and the Palestine Red Crescent's Al Quds Hospital, all of which took direct hits during the conflict. Other hospitals, including NasrPaediatricHospital, the OphthalmicHospital, Al Awda Hospital, and TelAl-IslamHospital, also suffered damage, mostly shattered windows from air strikes on neighbouring targets. The ICRC is distributing plastic sheeting and tarpaulins where needed to cover broken windows and holes in the walls and roofs.
Because of the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip which has now lasted more than a year and a half, hospitals are run down and much of the equipment is unreliable and in need of repair. Some medical supplies, including heavy painkillers and medicines for treating cancer patients and patients with bleeding disorders, are not available.
"Getting spare parts for medical equipment and other supplies into the Gaza Strip on a regular basis is key to addressing this situation – and a matter of priority," said Pierre Wettach, head of the ICRC delegation in Israel and the occupied territories. "We should do everything possible to avoid going back to the situation we had under the closure prior to 27 December. What we would like to see is the full opening of crossing points, the resumption of normal imports, and the possibility for students and professionals, such as doctors, to receive education abroad," said Mr Wettach.
ICRC and Palestine Red Crescent Society activities
· The ICRC delivered medical supplies, such as tracheotomy tubes and also ventilator tubing for both children and adults, as well as strong painkillers to the central disposable and drug stores in GazaCity. Medicines for relieving severe pain were supplied to the Central Drug Store. In addition, body bags were given to the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance service.
· ICRC health teams assessed the needs of 12 hospitals throughout the Gaza Strip.
· ICRC staff collected information on more than 100 people registered by their families as missing during the conflict, in an attempt to find out what happened to them and to restore contact between them and their loved ones.
· The ICRC provided the Artificial Limb and PolioCenter in GazaCity with plastic sheeting to cover the roof and windows broken during the fighting.
· Together with the Palestine Red Crescent, the ICRC identified 650 partially destroyed houses and 884 totally destroyed houses in various areas, including Tel Al-Hawa, Al-Atatra, Zaytun, Rafah and Khan Yunis. Plastic sheeting was distributed to families who needed them.
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