JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that drug supplies in the Gaza Strip are very thin amid limited access to the area.
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Hanan Balkhy, said supplies of some basic materials, including gauze and needles, were exhausted.
"In Gaza, the health system is still very fragile, and supplies of essential medicines, trauma care supplies and surgical equipment are very few," he said, quoted by ANTARA from WAFA, Saturday, March 7.
In addition, it was also mentioned that the fuel crisis also limited the operational capacity of hospitals.
He warned that without consistent humanitarian access, including the delivery of safe medical supplies and the resumption of medical evacuations, patients would continue to face life-threatening delays in obtaining treatment.
Balkhy noted that the WHO was able to bring some medical supplies and fuel to Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday, but some aid trucks were still stuck in the Egyptian city of El Arish.
According to him, the number of trucks entering Gaza is no more than 200 units per day, while the area needs at least 600 trucks every day to meet the needs of the community.
Balkhy also called for more fuel to be allowed into Gaza so that hospitals in the area could continue to operate.
Half of Gaza's 36 hospitals have remained closed since the start of the truce, while those still operating struggle to continue providing vital services such as surgeries, dialysis and intensive care.
According to him, the Rafah crossing, the main exit point for the majority of Gaza residents, is still closed and medical evacuation operations are suspended.
Based on WHO data, around 18,000 people, including injured children and chronic disease patients, are waiting for medical evacuation.
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