Official: More than 75% of cancer medicines unavailable in Gaza Strip

Some 70 per cent of medicines for chronic diseases and 75 per cent of those for cancer treatment and blood diseases are not available in the besieged Gaza Strip, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said.

Speaking to the Quds News Agency, Ashraf Al-Qudra said the health care situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating rapidly, adding that Palestinian patients suffer the consequences.

“Milk for sick children is also unavailable,” Al-Qudra said, calling on international and human rights organisations to “rescue Palestinian patients, send medicines and allow the patients to travel for treatment”.

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He also demanded the health ministry in the West Bank to provide the Gaza Strip with medicines on a regular basis and called for the opening of the border crossings.

According to Al-Qudra, the health care system in Gaza Strip also suffers from a shortage of fuel needed to operate generators in 13 public hospitals and 54 primary care centres which require 450,000 litres of diesel per month.

As many as 56 patients died in 2017 due to lack of medicines, Al-Qudra added.