MEDICAL CHARITY, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS(MSF) MARKS 1YEAR IN GAZA

By Ml Luqman Skink, INX Prime News and Current Affairs Editor

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Its teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff who work in more than 70 countries providing medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations.

Since the start of the Gaza war in October last year more than 27,500 patients have been treated in MSF medical centres inside Gaza for violence-related injuries, with more than 80 percent of the wounds linked to shelling.

In a statement released by the MSF on the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war, it noted that Gaza’s healthcare system had been systematically dismantled by the Israeli army. MSF teams in Gaza have been forced to perform surgeries without anaesthesia and to witness children dying on hospital floors due to a lack of resources.

GAZA’S HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF MSF

Speaking to INX Prime, MSF regional director for Southern Africa, Claire Waterhouse said the situation in Gaza at the moment is nothing short of catastrophic.

"We at MSF are very used to seeing terrible situations around the world in all kinds of conflicts and emergencies we provide humanitarian assistance and healthcare for people. But what we are seeing in Gaza is unlike anything we have seen before."

Waterhouse explained that Gaza’s healthcare system is almost completely destroyed after what seemed like a systematic attack by Israeli forces throughout the year. So far, there have been 1,039 cases of Israeli forces attacking hospitals and healthcare facilities in defiance of international law, making it almost impossible for Gazans to access proper healthcare in Gaza.

’A SITUATION TOO TERRIBLE FOR WORDS’

Waterhouse said that despite the extremely difficult circumstances, the MSF continues to try its best to assist Gaza’s population who live under impossible conditions.

"There is almost no clean water available to people of Gaza. There are high levels of malnutrition especially among children. They do not have food, they do not have shelter and they live under constant threat of death."

MSF REMAINS OPERATIONAL IN 7 GAZA SITES

The MSF has seen its operations drastically downgraded in Gaza since before October 7 when its medical teams worked in three major hospitals. Its medical teams have had to evacuate from 14 different health facilities due to displacement caused by the on-going violence.

"Every time we try to set up treatment facilities, our staff have been forced to evacuate because of the on-going fighting, the unpredictable situation, and threats on our staff. This has made it very difficult to set up operations to try and treat people."

However, MSF has managed to keep open between 6 and 7 operations in the north of Gaza, its centre, and in the south near Rafah.

27,500 WOUNDED GAZANS TREATED BY MSF MEDICAL TEAMS

Waterhouse said apart from injuries sustained from Israel’s bombs and shells, almost every patient they see is also dealing with the mental anguish and trauma of their experiences.

"We are seeing young children who are having suicidal thoughts and to imagine what children are going through to get to that point is truly horrific."

The scale of the carnage seen by MSF medical teams includes people who have been dismembered, people with crushed bones who have been rescued from under the rubble, terrible open wounds, and really bad burn injuries. Together with the health issues resulting from the war, MSF teams also see lots of patients with chest infections, skin diseases, diarrhea, and other water-borne diseases.

’17 OUT OF GAZA’S 36 MEDICAL FACILITIES BARELY FUNCTIONING’

After 1 year of Israel’s targeting of Gaza’s hospitals and medical facilities, only 17 out of the strip’s 36 hospitals and medical centres remain functional. Waterhouse said Gaza’s medical centres are not even close to what they should be, but are only partially functioning. Thanks to a close partnership between MSF and the Gaza Health Ministry, healthcare centres to treat the wounded and to provide other services have been made available.

HOW TO SUPPORT MSF EFFORTS IN GAZA

The healthcare organisation has called for an immediate ceasefire and the end of the targeting of the medical sector, which is against international humanitarian law. To date, MSF has only been able to get 73 aid trucks into Gaza whereas before October 7, the medical charity was able to bring in 300-500 trucks per day.

"We need a huge variety of equipment and medicines to provide care to all patients who need it. We are strongly calling for the opening of all borders and clear safe pathways for aid to be brought into Gaza."

MSF has been in Gaza for twenty years and Waterhouse says they aren’t leaving anytime soon. Anyone who would like to contribute to MSF’s efforts in Gaza and around the world should visit www.msf.org.za.