Babies with congenital issues untreated in Gaza due to shortages of supplies, says surgeon

 

A British surgeon who has been working in Gaza hospitals during the war about the dire conditions in the territory’s devastated health system.

Victoria Rose, a consultant plastic surgeon, returned from her third stint working in Gaza in May, where she worked in the Nasser Medical Complex.

She said the area where the hospital was located had been designated a “red zone” by Israeli authorities – meaning people should evacuate because military action is likely to occur – adding to the difficulties faced by staff.

“I really couldn’t see how the situation could get any worse,” she said, adding that conditions had nevertheless deteriorated further since her latest stint.

Rose said that as acute shortages of medical supplies meant staff prioritised emergency patients over others, she would be presented “on an almost daily basis” with children with congenital condition such as cleft palates but “had to take the decision not to operate on these babies”.

“At that stage, malnutrition was so high and our equipment levels were so low, that I couldn’t afford to bring a child into hospital and take the risk that they may get a post-operative wound infection and they wouldn’t have nutritional support that they would need,” she said.