The collapse of the healthcare sector in Gaza

With the grace of God, the heroes of our Royal Air Force in the Jordan Armed Forces – Arab Army managed, in the middle of the night on Saturday, to airdrop urgent medical and pharmaceutical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Our brothers in Palestine are enduring a tragic situation, amidst the Israeli occupation’s targeting of various areas in Gaza, worsened by the occupation's blockage of water, food, medicine, fuel and electricity supplies. Here, His Majesty King Abdullah’s gesture is evident, displaying his utmost concern and diligent follow-up to provide Gaza with medicine and other healthcare essentials by breaching the severe blockade imposed on Gaza through the Royal Air Force aircraft. His Majesty's gestures genuinely express and translate the Jordanian stance, embodying the noblest humanitarian principles stemming from the Hashemite sensibility, drawing strength from the historical resilience of the Hashemites in defending Al-Aqsa and Palestine. This is also embodied in the role played by HRH Crown Prince Hussein in directly supervising the continuous aid being sent to Gaza.

This aid arrives as a relief for our brethren in Gaza. Every moment, entire families are affected, with thousands of Palestinians seeking refuge in shelters, schools and hospitals in the face of a dire humanitarian situation, sharing water bottles and scarce bread, while enduring difficult times of bombardment and deprivation of basic services.

With the ongoing power outage and fuel shortages, all sectors, especially the healthcare sector, are on the verge of collapse, tantamount to a death sentence for the wounded and sick. The scarcity of drinking water, unavailability of personal care supplies and the deterioration of parts of the sewage system lead to the spread of infectious diseases, signalling an impending health catastrophe, especially with the continuous blockade on water and medicine.

The Ministry of Health has declared the collapse of the healthcare system due to the acute shortage of medical supplies, their prevention from reaching Gaza and the depletion of healthcare supplies and medications. Hospitals cannot admit any more patients or wounded due to the lack of resources and beds, reaching a point where surgeries are performed by the light of mobile phones and without anesthesia, creating a tragic situation beyond human imagination.

Despite the psychological and physical pressures and the lack of resources, medical and healthcare professionals continue to provide their services, resorting to prioritisation in treatment due to the catastrophic conditions. Hence, the Ministry of Health has called upon retired medical staff to immediately join the workforce due to the shortage of personnel, the increasing numbers of wounded and sick, and the difficulties in accessing treatment areas due to roads destroyed by bombings.

The heinous crimes of the ongoing aggression, including the deliberate targeting of medical facilities, are blatant violations of international humanitarian law, ethical values and principles that cannot be ignored.

More than 65 medical staff members have lost their lives, over 36 hospitals in Gaza have been damaged, with 15 hospitals ceasing operations due to fuel depletion and lack of safety amid repeated bombings. The interruptions in power and fuel threaten to spoil medicines and vaccines and disrupt medical equipment. Thousands of patients require life-saving medical care, including those in need of dialysis, advanced cancer treatment, insulin for diabetic patients, and over 50,000 pregnant women facing challenges in accessing healthcare.

Building on the unwavering stance of His Majesty King Abdullah, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and the significance of ending the aggression on Gaza and providing urgent humanitarian and medical aid, many in the country have accelerated efforts to offer relief, donations, healthcare supplies and medications to Gaza. By Royal directives, relief aircraft have been sent to Gaza, while high committees and charity funds have been established to support the reconstruction in Palestine and advocate for the Palestinian people. Additionally, the Pharmacists Syndicate has initiated a campaign in solidarity with Gaza's people to collect medical and pharmaceutical donations to support the healthcare sector. This campaign is in response to the royal directives to lend a helping hand to our brethren, in coordination with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation.

Over 850 Jordanian doctors have voluntarily offered to treat the wounded and patients in Gaza, despite the bombings, awaiting safe passages to enter the Gaza Strip.

What is happening in Gaza is a heinous crime against the innocent, calling upon international organisations, the global community and human rights organisations to bear their responsibilities in halting the Israeli aggression that seems to transcend international law and in swiftly opening safe passages for urgent medical aid.

We pray for the protection of Palestine and its people.

Fadia Mayyas is dean of the College of Pharmacy at the Yarmouk University