PRESS RELEASE Ministry of Health – Gaza warns of halting the services of Beit Hanoun hospital within hours due to the fuel shortage crisis.
In an unprecedented and rapid tragedy, the fuel crisis in hospitals and primary care centers continues to hit critical levels. Today, few hours left for the beginning of interruption of the services in Beit Hanoun Hospital due to the shortage of fuel required to operate the generators, which means depriving 350,000 people of the service and health care provided by the hospital. As a matter of facts, the MOH would like to confirm the following points:
1. The Ministry of Health’s austerity measures and plans to redistribute the remaining amounts of fuel will not last long in the absence of fuel and growing demand for electricity, even with shifting the original large generators to smaller standby generators to reduce the fuel consumption.
2. MOH warns that the continuation of this crisis affects the work of the medical staff in the hospitals and the imposes a state of confusion, which means postponing surgical operations, laboratory tests ,blood tests, and suspending the work of the Radiology Department and supportive services, such as laundry and sterilization.
3. The absence of any response from donors adds to the crisis a state of uncertainty and threats of worst-case scenarios that may deprive patients of their remedial rights.
4. Ministry of Health continues to work in all directions and with various parties to contain the crisis through radical solutions.
Ministry of Health January 16, 2019