MOH – Gaza: Kidney failure patients to face unknown future
With the population doubling in the Gaza Strip, the number of patients with kidney failure raised. The Palestinian Ministry of Health issued a warning of the threats havering around the lives of kidney patients in the Gaza Strip in the coming years.
Kidney failure patients are suffering from a severe shortage of medical devices and supplies.
The report issued by MOH stated that the number of kidney patients is expected to increase by 2030 to about 2,200 cases.
According to the report, the 1026 dialysis patients in the Gaza Strip are completely dependent on government health services provided by the Ministry of Health through 7 dialysis centers. The Ministry of Health will need about 30 additional hemodialysis machines annually, pointing out that by 2030 the Gaza Strip will need 380 machines, of which only 197 are currently available.
The report indicated that the increase in the number of kidney failure patients is expected to reach about 2,200 patients in 2030, which requires providing a sufficient number of hemodialysis machines, expanding centers, and increasing the number of health care providers with an annual increase of 10%.
The Ministry of Health called on its partners to support its plans to reduce the rate of kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip through encouraging the kidney transplantation programs in the Gaza Strip, which the Ministry has started since 2013.