Injured arrive in Gaza hospital
Photo: AP
Gaza hospital faces shortage in equipment, blood units
As injured continue to pour into Gaza's Shifa hospital, physicians struggle with limited equipment, lack of medicine and beds. 'We're not sure we would be able to save the critically injured,' one doctor says
The Shifa hospital in Gaza can barely keep up with the inflow of casualties wounded in clashes with the IDF throughput the day, as doctors try to function despite the severe lack of medical equipment and beds.
Dr Jumaa al-Saka, who works at the hospital told Ynet, "We received seven dead people and 40 injured, including seven who were in critical condition. Most of them were wounded by gunshots or from ricochets."
Gaza hospital (Photo: AFP)
He said that the hospital was suffering from a shortage of blood units, and that if the fighting continued, "it would be very difficult to treat the injured."
According to Dr al-Saka, the hospital was dealing with a shortage in equipment for some time now, and the clashes Wednesday only aggravated the situation. "We are in need of antiseptics and drugs… we've started using our emergency equipment," he added.
Dr Nader, a physician working at the hospital's ER, said that he didn't know whether the medical team would be able to save some of the critically injured with the limited equipment at hand.
Last week, after Hamas completed its takeover of the Strip, international aid organizations including UNRWA and the Red Cross warned that a humanitarian crisis was likely to develop in Gaza. The Red Cross has also sent medical equipment and surgeons to assist in complicated operations at the hospital.
