It has now been a year since the devastating attacks on the occupied Palestinian territory began, and civilian deaths and injuries are in the tens of thousands.
In the Gaza Strip, the damage to an already under-resourced health system continues to increase. Medical supplies, clean water, food and fuel are few and far between, and hospital staff are both physically and mentally exhausted, forced to operate and treat under harsh conditions with virtually no resource, and sometimes no anaesthesia. As of this month, only 17 of 36 hospitals remained partially functional in Gaza (WHO).
In response to this urgent and immediate need for functioning health systems and access to care, we have been supporting a grassroots nonprofit organisation to run five medical tents including a specialised breastfeeding consultation and mental health tent in the middle of the Gaza Strip (Deir Al-Balah, Al-Zawayda and Khan Younis). Locations were selected close to displaced communities so as to maintain a degree of safety and stability under such volatile circumstances.
In total, the medical tents support over 100 patients per day via the work of a family doctor, nurse and logistician, taking a comprehensive and biopsychosocial approach with patients. In the month of August alone, 4,500 consultations were provided. Areas of care covered include health education, psychological support, treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, and early detection of common diseases e.g diabetes. In addition:
- Dedicated breastfeeding support tent available since January, a vital addition given the lack of clean water and current expense of formula milk which has led to under 6 month malnutrition.
- Medication distribution and wound dressings.
- Health education sessions and psychosocial support offered for the communities surrounding each tent.
- Registered by the Ministry of Health as qualified to manage patients
- New specialised tent for mental health support launched in late August.
It is only with your continued, necessary and generous donations that we will be able to continue to deliver essential services at these clinics (e.g. increase healthcare provision to include antenatal care via the introduction of a portable ultrasonography device), expand them so as to look after more patients, and refurbish them ready for the winter.
Support our work today: www.doctorsworldwide.org/donate
