Incubator shortages, premature births strain Gaza's hospitals
As monitors beep and doctors consult near them, two tiny newborns lie silently side-by-side, sharing a single incubator in a southern Gaza hospital running short on space and supplies. Gaza's youngest already face an extremely precarious entry into the world, given the dire humanitarian situation in the war-shattered territory that borders Israel and Egypt. But for babies needing specialist care,…
Tiny newborns in Gaza face daunting odds at birth, exacerbated by the territory's dire humanitarian circumstances and a shortage of crucial medical resources. In southern Gaza's Nasser hospital, neonatal specialist Hatem Dhahir lamented the lack of oxygen and incubators, as two infants were forced to share one incubator. The war between Israel and Hamas has left Gaza's healthcare system in ruins, with many facilities damaged or unusable and Israeli restrictions limiting the flow of vital supplies.
The UN's humanitarian agency OCHA reported that one in three pregnancies in Gaza were high-risk, with 70% of newborns premature or underweight. Consequently, Dhahir noted a surge in premature births, with staff forced to cram multiple babies into a single incubator. This overcrowding significantly raises the risk of mortality. Despite the US-backed ceasefire, Israeli military actions persist, further straining Gaza's already fragile healthcare system.
Unicef has supplied 93 incubators to six hospitals across the Gaza Strip to help alleviate the situation, but the challenges remain immense, and more support is urgently needed.
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