Jordanian health associations plan 3rd field hospital in Gaza

AMMAN — Jordan Medical Association (JMA) said it is working with stakeholders on establishing a third field hospital in the Gaza Strip, staffed with Jordanian volunteers to provide “critical” healthcare services in the besieged enclave.

The second Jordanian field hospital commenced receiving patients in southern Gaza Strip last week, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In remarks to The Jordan Times, JMA board member Maha Fakhoury said that the association is receiving cash and in-kind donations, including medical supplies, to be delivered to Gaza through the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation. 

She noted that establishing a third field hospital is linked to enforcing a ceasefire, safe passageways, and security approvals for volunteers and medical staff to be able to enter Gaza. 

The hospital is expected to include 40 beds as well as operating rooms and intensive care units. It will be funded by charity organisations and individual donors, according to Fakhoury. 

A conference will be held in February by health unions and societies in Jordan to unify efforts towards the “reconstruction” of the medical sector in Gaza, she said. 

Fakhoury also pointed out that, since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza, 800 doctors in Jordan have signed up as volunteers to provide “critical” healthcare services for people in Gaza. 

However, their entry to the besieged strip has not yet been facilitated due to hindrances by the Israeli side, she said. 

She also said that the JMA is in constant contact with medical humanitarian organisations to enable the entry of these volunteers to Gaza, including with Doctors Without Borders, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Fakhoury explained that entering Gaza has always been difficult even before the war due to the Israeli restrictions. 

“We are doing what we can to help the people in Gaza, but it is not enough. Our hands are tied and our hearts burn for the tragedies we see unfolding there."

The health ministry in Gaza said in a statement on Monday that 20 hospitals and 46 health centres are out of service as a result of Israeli air strikes and the depletion of fuel and medical resources.

The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza has so far killed 283 medical workers and destroyed 56 ambulances, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

It also said that the Israeli occupation forces currently detain 35 medical staff from Gaza, including the director of Al Shifa Hospital Mohammad Abu Salmiya.