Over 22,500 Gaza Residents Victims of Permanent Trauma, WHO Report Shows
The United Nations (UN) World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that at least 22,500 of the injured victims of Gaza are now faced with long-term injures that will need intense rehabilitation to overcome.
These findings were contained in a report released by the body on Thursday.
Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, a WHO Representative in Gaza, has lamented the near extintion of Gaza’s healthcare facilities, while noting that rehabilitation for the victims is urgently needed.
“Patients are unable to receive the care they need. Acute rehabilitation services are critically disrupted, and specialised care for complex injuries is unavailable, jeopardising patients’ lives.
“Immediate and ongoing support is urgently required to meet the massive rehabilitation needs,” Peeperkorn said.
He states that injuries such as, severe limb damage, amputations, spinal cord trauma, traumatic brain injuries, and major burns, cannot be attended to due to the collapse of facilities in the area.
WHO disclosed that, only 17 of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are still in partial operation.
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The Organization says that insecurity, frequent attacks, and evacuation orders are disrupting primary healthcare and community services.
This is further emphasized by the non-operation of Gaza’s sole limb reconstruction and rehabilitation center, located in the Nasser Medical Complex, since December 2023.
The center collapsed owing to an air raid in February this year, as well as shortages of supplies and personnel.
WHO has now called for safe access to essential health services even as the war in Gaza persists.
It will be recalled that the violence in Gaza began due to a series of terrorists attacks carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian groups on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Since then, the area has come under severe attacks by Israeli troops.
