Gaza Faces Imminent Crisis in Medical Laboratory, Blood Bank Services
Dr. Sahar Ghanem, Director of the Laboratory Department at the Ministry, said nearly half of the medical testing materials and lab consumables have stock levels that will not last more than a month.
Specifically, 48.7% of diagnostic reagents and 48.2% of laboratory consumables are running dangerously low.
'This sharp deterioration directly threatens the continuity of diagnostic and blood transfusion services,' Dr. Ghanem said.
'It comes at a time when the health sector is already overwhelmed by soaring numbers of injuries and an escalating humanitarian crisis.'
The crisis is further compounded by the targeted destruction of laboratory equipment by Israeli forces during ongoing military operations.
According to Dr. Ghanem, approximately 50% of hospital laboratories and 60% of primary care laboratories have been destroyed. In total, 514 laboratory devices are currently out of service.
Before the war started on October 7, 2023, 12 laboratories operated in hospitals across Gaza under the Ministry of Health. Six of these labs were completely destroyed, while two others, located in the European Gaza Hospital and Al-Durra Hospital, were forced to shut down due to evacuations.
Only four labs remain operational, scattered between the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Ghanem accused the Israeli army of systematically targeting laboratory facilities to cripple the health sector and prevent timely diagnosis and treatment of patients and the wounded.
In response to the crisis, the Gaza Ministry of Health is urgently calling on international and humanitarian organizations to intervene.
They stress the need for immediate support to sustain the minimum level of medical services necessary to care for the wounded and sick in the besieged enclave.
Without swift international action, Gaza's already fragile healthcare infrastructure may soon face total collapse, the Ministry revealed.
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