1,500 blinded, 4,000 others at risk as Gaza eye care system crumbles
3 Min Read
While 1,500 people have already lost their sight, 4,000 are at risk due to severe shortages in surgical equipment and medical supplies.
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Palestinian children wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are treated at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on Nov. 21, 2023 (AP)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has revealed a sharp increase in blindness cases amid the ongoing Israeli genocide, warning that the territory’s sole eye care hospital is on the brink of total surgical paralysis due to severe shortages of medical supplies.
According to the Ministry, approximately 1,500 Palestinians have lost their sight since the beginning of the war and another 4,000 are at risk of blindness, primarily due to a critical lack of medicines and surgical equipment.
Dr. Abdelsalam Sabah, Director of the Eye Hospital in Gaza, described the situation as “an almost total collapse” of surgical capacity. He noted that procedures for conditions such as retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and internal bleeding have come to a near standstill.
"The health sector is facing a critical shortage of consumables and medical equipment necessary for eye surgeries, which is leading to an almost total collapse of surgical services," said Dr. Sabah.
Only three worn-out scissors remain for all surgeries
The Palestinian doctor added that the hospital currently relies on just three worn-out surgical scissors, which are being reused across procedures, raising serious risks to patients and significantly limiting life-saving interventions.
Dr. Sabah further warned that essential supplies, including Healon and fine surgical sutures used for treating explosion-related eye injuries, are nearly completely exhausted.
“The Eye Hospital is on the verge of declaring a complete inability to provide any surgical services unless there is an immediate and urgent intervention from relevant authorities and international organizations,” he said.
Healthcare in the time of genocide. Inside "Israel's" systematic assault on #Gaza's health workers and facilities in numbers. pic.twitter.com/m9XyG7yprT
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Severe shortage in medical supplies
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip warned on Sunday that the indicators of a severe shortage in medical supplies are escalating dangerously.
In a statement, the ministry pointed to a complete lack of medical consumables and essential medications, announcing that 64% of medical consumables are now out of stock.
Additionally, 43% of essential medications are also out of stock, marking a 6% increase compared to last month.
Emergency departments, operating rooms, and intensive care units are functioning with depleted supplies amid a rise in the number of critical injuries.
Patients with kidney failure, cancer, blood disorders, heart diseases, and other chronic illnesses are the most affected by the crisis, according to the Ministry, which warned of the serious risk of halting healthcare services if the ban on the entry of urgent medical supplies continues.
Entire system failing
Gaza’s health infrastructure has been devastated by months of ongoing aggression, with the eye care sector emerging as one of the hardest-hit areas due to its specialized nature and dependence on delicate, high-precision equipment that is no longer available or able to be sterilized and reused safely.
The Ministry of Health has renewed its call on humanitarian agencies and global health institutions to act swiftly in delivering medical aid to prevent further irreversible blindness among Gaza’s besieged population.
This comes as Gaza’s Health Ministry reported Saturday that the death toll has climbed to 52,810, with 119,473 people injured since the start of the genocide.
