World Health Organization: The Gaza Strip needs an emergency response to rehabilitate the population after the ceasefire takes effect
With the entry into force of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the urgent need becomes apparent for rapid and coordinated humanitarian and medical action on a global level to save what can be saved in terms of life, health and a future for the people of the Strip who have suffered from the scourge of the systematic destruction of everything that is humane and allows for life after two years of continuous war that left more than 67 thousand martyrs, in addition to more than 167 thousand injured.
This report focuses on a specific aspect of emergency needs, which is the medical sector and rehabilitation services, which today represent a top priority before any other humanitarian or construction intervention.
According to the latest WHO data updated for October, the numbers indicate that the scale of medical and rehabilitation needs in Gaza is enormous and requires an emergency response with competencies and equipment. And open humanitarian corridors without obstacles.
World Health Organization data show that the Gaza health crisis has gone beyond the general humanitarian scope to become a systematic medical crisis, as since October 2023, the total number of infected people in Gaza has reached 167,376 people. Of these, the WHO report estimates that 41,844 people (about 1.9% of the population) need long-term rehabilitation due to life-altering injuries. It is estimated that about 25% of patients with injuries designated for rehabilitation are children, while the age distribution indicates that 5% of these major injuries occur in the group under five years of age.
As for major injuries to the extremities, they represent an important percentage of the clinical burden; The World Health Organization estimates that major limb injuries represent about 13% of the total injuries, meaning between 21,759 and 28,287 cases. There were 2,348 spinal cord injuries and 1,800 traumatic brain injuries that require specialized interventions and rehabilitation. 2,218 amputation cases have also been recorded to the date of the report, with a large number of these cases being transferred for treatment outside the Gaza Strip.
The health system also documented the treatment of 4,348 burn cases, and the report indicated that 32.2% of burn cases were of partial thickness, 27% were full thickness, and 10.6% extended to the muscles or bones, which makes two-thirds of burn cases vulnerable to permanent disabilities if not treated with programs. Integrated restoration and rehabilitation program.
The report indicated that about 2,500 people reported new hearing loss due to the sounds of massive explosions, in addition to peripheral nerve injuries, which constituted a significant percentage in rehabilitation records (about 10% in UNRWA data, and 5.4% in data from other parties). Cases of multiple injuries often resulting from explosions have a high rate of complexity and disrupt daily life. The data recorded that about 12.5% of explosive injuries are classified as multiple injuries, with varying overall estimates ranging between 15% and 30% of the wounded.
Before the war on Gaza, there was a network of services: 21 primary health care facilities providing rehabilitation services. Now, 19 of them are only partially operational. The report indicated that rehabilitation services have decreased by 62% since the outbreak of the conflict, and not a single center is operating at full capacity. Accommodation units for patients in need of rehabilitation programs decreased to 64% of pre-conflict levels (i.e. a decrease of about 36% in capacity), in addition to a severe shortage of specialized personnel after the killing or displacement of a large number of medical and technical professionals related to rehabilitation.
Gaza suffers from a serious shortage of rehabilitation products and supplies such as wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, and tools for treating burns. Advanced, spinal and brain injury treatment equipment, and specialized dressing materials. As a result of the restriction of the entry of medical devices and supplies due to Israeli blockade measures and logistical restrictions, restorative and preventive capabilities that were available before the bitter two-year war were paralyzed. The war also caused severe damage to health information systems; Many records have been lost or destroyed, and mechanisms for tracking patients and transferring between facilities have been disrupted, which will complicate the planning of long-term rehabilitation programs and follow-up related to prosthetics, infections, ulcers and bed pressure.
The World Health Organization confirms in its report that mental health needs are very broad; The injured and their families suffer from profound psychological trauma that requires psychological and social support programs integrated into medical rehabilitation programs.
The World Health Organization indicates that the needs listed in this report concern the medical sector alone, while broader humanitarian needs (such as shelter, food, and water) remain a separate topic that is no less serious. However, meeting these urgent medical requirements represents the first line of defense for life and human dignity in Gaza today.
Medical and humanitarian reports confirm that the Gaza Strip urgently needs, after the ceasefire takes effect, to open all humanitarian crossings immediately and without restrictions to ensure the entry of medical supplies and the necessary technical supplies, in addition to providing the Strip with sufficient raw materials to cover the recorded cases of amputation (2,218). case) of prosthetic limbs and equipment to care for them, in addition to providing wheelchairs, armrests, and adjustable beds for thousands of patients.
The critical health situation also requires providing specialized units for treating burns, reconstructing the face and eyes, and supporting reconstructive surgeries, with trained crews of surgeons and reconstruction specialists, and building and expanding rehabilitation units that accommodate about 41,844 people are in need of long-term programmes, with priority given to children, who represent a quarter of cases, and infants from the lowest age groups.
Priorities also include implementing intensive physical, occupational and occupational therapy programmes, providing assistive devices such as limbs and orthotics and local workshops for their maintenance, in addition to supporting mental health programs and integrating them into rehabilitation services by training psychological protection teams. And multidisciplinary social.
It is also an urgent matter to rebuild health information systems and patient files, while providing temporary electronic tracking and transfer mechanisms for evacuation cases and remote follow-up, in addition to providing urgent support from international bodies to secure temporary cadres from international medical teams (EMT) and implementing urgent training programs for local cadres to compensate for the acute shortage of competencies working within Gaza Strip.
World Health Organization figures clearly highlight that a ceasefire alone is not enough; Without a safe and immediate opening of the crossings, a massive and organized flow of medical aid, restoration of the health infrastructure, and building rehabilitation capabilities, today’s injuries will turn into lifelong disabilities that will affect generations to come. A response limited to distributing food items alone will not save thousands of lives or prevent the disability of hundreds of children and youth. What saves now is a combination of: a permanent cessation of fighting, urgent and unrestricted access to medical supplies and teams, and emergency funding allocated for years of physical and psychological rehabilitation programs.
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