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Gaza announces 35% shortfall in cancer medicines

June 16, 2020 at 12:26 pm

A Palestinian patient undergoes kidney dialysis at al-Shifa hospital during the continuing crisis of power outages, in Gaza city [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]

Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza yesterday announced that it is suffering from 35 per cent deficit in cancer medicines, Anadolu reported.

Speaking to the news site, Director of the Pharmaceutical Department Muneer Al-Borsh said: “A shortage of one medicine negatively affect the treatment protocol of a cancer patient.”

Al-Borsh said that the 14-year-old Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip along with the restrictions put in place due to coronavirus and the sanctions imposed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah are the reasons for the deficit.

He said that the Ministry of Health in Ramallah sent only $2 million of the $40 million in administration and operational fees since the start of the year.

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Meanwhile, Al-Borsh said that the ministry in Gaza provides medical services to cancer patients through the private Al-Hayat Hospital, stating that the medical services at this hospital are incomplete.

Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights called on the PA in Ramallah to afford the expenses of comprehensive medical treatment for cancer patients in Gaza.

The organisation said that the medical services for cancer patients in Gaza are limited and the patients are currently facing multiple challenges, including shortages in medical supplies.

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, approximately 6,000 cancer patients receive treatment in the Strip.