Gaza – Ma’an – The Law Foundation for Human Rights “Al-Haq” issued a fact sheet on the reality of kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip, in light of the continuing genocide, the complex conditions and the real dangers threatening the lives of patients.
The fact sheet touched on the Israeli occupation forces’ continuation of genocide in the Gaza Strip, targeting the civilian population in their military attacks and their property on a large scale, and deliberately attacking and destroying medical services and staff, hospitals, and specialized centers that provide health care to patients, and obstructing the arrival of medical devices and equipment. And the fuel needed to operate it, endangers the lives of the sick and wounded, increases their suffering, deprives sick and wounded civilians of access to health care, and deprives them of adequate food.
She pointed out that kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip face complex and dangerous conditions, as a result of the destruction of 5 centers specialized
in providing dialysis services out of 7, with the continued acute shortage of medicines and medical supplies, continued obstacles, attacks on residential areas, forced displacement of residents, and forced Patients leave hospitals regardless of their health condition, deliberately killing them, which actually caused the death of many of them, as a result of their inability to receive treatment, and malnutrition resulting from the starvation policy.
The following are the most important aspects of the fact sheet:
Targeting the health system and its impact on kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip:
The military attacks caused the martyrdom of (476) medical personnel and medical specialists, targeted (155) health institutions and destroyed them completely and partially, put (32) hospitals and (53) health centers out of service, and obstructed the arrival of fuel to the remaining hospitals, which caused the loss of hospitals. Its therapeutic and absorption capacity, and medical teams are now treating the wou
nded and sick with modest capabilities
The number of kidney failure patients before the aggression on the Gaza Strip was about (1,100) patients, who were receiving treatment and dialysis sessions in (7) centers: Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Noura Al-Kaabi Center in northern Gaza, Al-Rantisi Hospital for Children, Al-Quds Hospital, and Shuhada Hospital. Al-Aqsa in Deir al-Balah, Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, and Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah.
During its military attack on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces destroyed all centers specialized in providing dialysis services, with the exception of the two sections located in Al-Aqsa Martyrs and Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospitals, which threatens the lives of patients and deprives them of their right to treatment.
The forced displacement of residents from northern Gaza and Gaza City was accompanied by the destruction of medical centers and departments of the Industrial College, including their equipment, which caused a major imbalance in th
e distribution of patients, and created great pressure on the only two departments in Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital and Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, so that the need was not met. The truth is minimal for patients.
Medical sources revealed that (18) patients died in the Gaza Strip as a result of their inability to receive treatment and dialysis sessions in centers and hospitals, while 10 of them were martyred as a result of military attacks.
The continued shortage and shortage of medicines, medical supplies and consumables, especially immunosuppressive drugs, threatens the lives of patients, including (500) patients who were able to have a kidney transplant inside and outside Palestine. These patients are at risk of their bodies expelling the transplanted kidney or its failure to function, and it is feared that they will return to dialysis if this deficit continues. In medicines.
The reality of kidney failure patients during the aggression on the Gaza Strip:
Previously, kidney failure patients at Al-Aqsa Mar
tyrs Hospital received service through (21) dialysis machines, including two machines isolated in rooms and designated for hepatitis patients. They were subject to 3 regular sessions per week for (10-12) hours, until Toxins and fluids are removed from the patient’s body.
The number of kidney failure patients receiving service at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital increased from 144 patients to 440 patients, as 3 more dialysis machines were added with great difficulty due to the tightness and limitations of space, including one dedicated to children, and the department now has 24 dialysis machines, including 4 Devices that exceeded the official working hours by more than 25 thousand working hours.
The increase in the number of kidney failure patients who visit the artificial kidney department, in addition to the scarcity of capabilities, prompted the administration of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital to reduce the number of dialysis sessions and their hours, so the patient received 4 hours a week in two sessions, and this cau
sed the accumulation of toxins, an increase in fluids, and a doubling of the risk. On the lives of patients, and as a result of the great pressure and increased working hours on the equipment and on the water treatment plant, malfunctions occur frequently.
The number of kidney failure patients in Rafah Governorate before the aggression reached 115 patients, who were receiving service through (18) devices at Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, where the patient undergoes (3-4) sessions per week, with the session duration ranging between 3 to 4 hours.
After the aggression and the destruction of dialysis centers and devices in Gaza, its north, and Khan Yunis, and the displacement of residents to the south of the Gaza Strip, the number of patients increased to about (600) patients, and the hospital administration was unable to add only one device, bringing the number to (19) devices, one of which was allocated to hepatitis patients. In light of this deficit and great pressure, the hospital was forced to reduce the
number of sessions to two sessions per week, and reduce the duration of the session to between (2-3) hours.
The dialysis department at Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital works around the clock, without vacations, and without breaks between sessions, due to the pressure of work, the high number of patients, and the lack of medical equipment and supplies. The department (3-5) has dialysis machines that frequently malfunction and are repaired.
Examinations and analyzes performed on patients with kidney failure revealed that toxins in the patients’ bodies exceed the normal level as a result of malnutrition, the patients’ dependence on canned foods that contain preservatives and salts, and the lack of foods rich in proteins and healthy foods that nourish the immunity of patients with kidney failure.
Mrs. Aisha Muhammad Hassan Matar, 68 years old, resident of Jabalia Camp, who suffers from tumors and kidney failure, reported the following:
‘Three years ago, I suffered from kidney failure, in addition to tumors. I w
as receiving dialysis sessions at the Noura Al-Kaabi Center in northern Gaza. In this center, I underwent treatment sessions on a regular basis and for sufficient hours, as I was undergoing dialysis sessions day after day, for 4 hours a day. Today, but as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the destruction of the Noura Al-Kaabi Center, I was forced to flee on 11/22/2023, to the south of Gaza City. Due to the difficult financial situation and my inability to pay for transportation, I deliberately searched and found shelter, which was a caravan close to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. In the city of Deir al-Balah so that I can attend treatment sessions.’
The reality of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital is completely different and harsh. The place is narrow and overcrowded with patients. I only get treatment sessions two days a week, two hours a day. This is not enough and causes me blood poisoning. The number of hours does not help cleanse the body of toxins, but the hospital administration justified red
ucing the number of hours. Days and hours of sessions due to the large number of patients. My suffering does not depend only on this, but the diet is not compatible with my health condition, as I depend for my daily sustenance on the canned goods that we receive from institutions, and there is no meat, fruits, vegetables, or sterile water, and this has affected my health condition, as all foods contain preservatives, and he told me The doctor said that it is not suitable for patients with kidney failure, and because of malnutrition, the laboratory told me that I suffer from anemia, as my blood level reached (5.5).
Regarding the dialysis service at Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, patient Ikram Mahmoud Taha Obaid, who is 57 years old and lives with her family of 5 members, on Al-Saftawi Street, in northern Gaza, reported the following:
‘I have been suffering from kidney failure for about 8 years, and I used to receive dialysis sessions 3 to 4 times a week. However, due to the Israeli aggression on th
e Gaza Strip, on 11/20/2023, I was forced to flee with my family from the Sakanai area in northern Gaza to Central Governorate, and I went to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city of Deir Al-Balah, in order to resume dialysis sessions, but I was surprised by the presence of large numbers of kidney failure patients inside the department, in addition to its narrow space and limited numbers of dialysis machines.’ I faced great suffering as a result of the irregularity of dialysis sessions, the reduction in session duration, and the lack of medications, especially heparin injections. I was forced to wait hours and days to receive the dialysis session, and this caused a decrease in the blood rate, an increase in the water rate, and an increase in the rate of toxins in my body. My health condition deteriorated and I began to suffer from The heart muscle function was weak and she became a heart patient. My suffering continued like this for two and a half months. I had to flee again to the Rafah Governorate in the far
south of the Gaza Strip as a result of the continuous bombing operations on residential areas in the Central Governorate. I went to Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital to get dialysis sessions, but I was surprised by the large numbers of kidney failure patients coming to the hospital, and I noticed that there was great pressure on Equipment in the Industrial College Department, and in order to have a washing session, I go to Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in the early morning hours so that I can book an appointment, and I wait for 48 hours until the time for the washing session comes, and I am allowed a two-hour washing session out of 3, and sometimes I undergo one session per week, and sometimes two sessions, and as a result my suffering has increased and doubled… I now suffer from the appearance of ulcers on my body, and infections that appear on the skin, and I feel constant weakness in my body, and severe weakness in movement, due to the irregularity of dialysis sessions and the lack of “An ambulance takes m
e to the hospital.”
The fact sheet concluded that kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip, including patients who have recently had a kidney transplanted, face extremely dangerous conditions for their lives, as a result of the scarcity of resources, the shortage of medications, and the reduction in dialysis hours. The risk to them also doubles, in light of a diet that lacks Healthy and appropriate foods for this category. As a result, many patients lose their lives, especially after the destruction of facilities and specialized medical centers, and the inability of many of them to reach, obtain treatment, and receive washing sessions as a result of the destruction of the centers, the siege of quiet areas, and the inability to pay transportation costs.
Palestinian human rights organizations, Al Mezan Center, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Al Haq Foundation, the World Health Organization, international institutions concerned with the right to health, and the Palestinian Ministry of Health, called
for the rapid establishment of dialysis centers in the western regions of the southern governorates, provided that they are close to refugee camps. The displaced persons, and providing the sector with medical devices, supplies and consumables to ensure that it accommodates the number of patients and providing the laundry service in accordance with the rules in order to protect the lives of patients.
She called on relief institutions to quickly provide appropriate food aid to patients with kidney failure, such as vegetables, meat, and mineral water, in a way that helps strengthen their immunity and makes their bodies able to withstand dialysis operations. We demand:
It also called on the international community to carry out its duties and intervene urgently to stop the policy of targeting health facilities and the starvation policy, impose a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, ensure the withdrawal of the occupation forces, and end the siege imposed on the Strip, in line with UN Security Council Resolution No. 2728
issued on March 25 and the measures precautionary measures imposed by the International Court of Justice.
She called on the international community and United Nations agencies, especially the World Health Organization and international institutions concerned with health care, to quickly provide medical equipment and devices in health centers, ensure the provision of aid and safe foodstuffs that suit the condition of patients, and expand the amount of support directed to patients and hospitals to protect their lives. .
Source: Maan News Agency