Gaza sanitation workers' strike stalls hospital operations

The health care system in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating in the wake of the sanitation crisis which has stalled all the departments of Al-Shifa Hospital and garbage and waste has accumulated, the Ministry of Health has warned.

Deputy Minister of Health, Yusuf Abu Al-Reesh said that the health conditions inside the hospitals and medical centres in Gaza have become dangerous after the sanitation companies went on strike.

Abu Al-Reesh added: “The lives of the patients inside the hospitals are in real danger. Everyone must take immediate action to save them before it is too late.”

He noted that there are large piles of waste and garbage in the hospitals and this poses a danger to the lives of the patients. In addition to this, all work has stopped in the operation rooms and emergency rooms in Al-Shifa Hospital.

He called on the national unity government led by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to address the current crisis with the sanitation workers in order for them to return to their jobs. He called the manipulation of patients’ lives unacceptable political exploitation.

Sanitation workers in the Gaza Strip are on strike for the second day because they have not received their salaries for over six months.

The union of sanitation workers in the Gaza Strip is accusing the unity government of neglecting the workers as well as their humanitarian and economic situation.

MEMO Photgrapher: Mohammad Asad

The workers are employed by private companies that provide services to the Ministry of Health in exchange for monthly payments. However, they have not received their pay since the formation of the Palestinian unity government in June.