Update: Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza

 

July 2018

The following update has been received from the Diocese of Jerusalem on the situation at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza, where many people are still receiving treatment resulting from the recent unrest. 

With violence in Gaza continuing into June, UN OCHA observed that Gaza’s already overstretched health sector has been struggling to cope with the mass influx of casualties. ABM partner Al Ahli Hospital (AAH) has reported 116 Palestinians killed and 14,605 injured. Of 7,195 people reportedly hospitalised, many were shot by live ammunition and 1,149 were children. Al Ahli Hospital, assisted by AUD $10,000 from ABM supporters in May 2018, is one of the main hospitals treating the injured.

Al Ahli Hospital has explained that its main work so far has been the following:

Preparedness:

• New ward: AAH has opened a new ward with 24 beds and 1 room for isolation to accommodate injured patients. AAH has appointed a highly specialized orthopaedist consultant for six months, two assistants and new nurses to take care of the patients.
• Procurement: 
  ◊ Fuel: Gaza is still suffering from 18 to 20 hours per day of power outages. Thanks to our partners who supported Ahli with fuel for generators during April and May 2018.
  ◊ Medicaments: there is still a dire need for different types of antibiotics.
  ◊ For new medical equipment: Purchase orders were called for tendering. 

Response:

• AAH has treated 60 causalities. 95% of the received cases needed immediate orthopaedic surgeries and tending to wounds and others. Some of the patients had serious injuries that will leave them with long-term physical disabilities. Some had large exit wounds the size of a fist.
• Average days of length of patients in AAH was 10 days. Most of those discharged were followed up in the outpatient department. 
• Ahli receives two to three cases per week for orthopaedic re-fixations. Due to severity of orthopaedic cases, Ahli will receive an American Orthopaedics consultant to assist and operate needed cases at Ahli.
• Ahli will receive a plastic surgery team either from Australia or Augusta Victoria [Hospital, East Jerusalem] to operate on injured patients who are in need of reconstruction surgeries.
• Ahli received referral for four cases infected with Klebsiella. These were isolated for infection management control. 
• Psychosocial services have been postponed until funds are made available for future treatment.

Request from Al Ahli Hospital:

We continue to urge our partners and supporters to continue providing assistance to the humanitarian dimensions of the 2.1 million Palestinians living in Gaza, and to secure funding to humanitarian actors like Ahli Arab Hospital to enhance the protection of Palestinians living under military occupation, improve vulnerable people’s access to basic health services. Ahli Hospital is determined to continue to help, heal and save lives of the vulnerable and the injured.

> You can donate to Al Ahli Arab Hospital here

 

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