Gaza Health Warns of Collapse of Oncology Services Due to Depletion of Treatments and Suspension of Chemotherapy Protocols

SadaNews: The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced a health and humanitarian crisis characterized by an unprecedented shortage of essential medications for oncology patients, putting the medical services provided to this group at its most critical level. The ministry confirmed that many items have completely run out of stock, including life-saving medications and chemotherapy and supportive treatments, while others have reached dangerously low levels, threatening the complete collapse of the specialized treatment system.

The ministry explained that this acute shortage has led to a complete halt of chemotherapy treatment protocols for breast, colon, and rectal cancer patients, in addition to gastrointestinal, head, and neck tumors, as well as soft tissue tumors and others. As a result of these harsh conditions, service departments are completely unable to accept new cases of breast cancer patients, alongside severe restrictions that hinder the preparation of dual chemotherapy due to the absence of necessary specialized medications.

In related contexts, medical reports emphasized that the unavailability of immunotherapy injections, which are supposed to be administered to patients after chemotherapy sessions, makes them vulnerable to serious complications and infections that could be life-threatening. Patients are also suffering from a lack of palliative medications and pain relievers, exacerbating the scale of suffering and the health disaster they endure daily without relief from their pain.

The catastrophe is escalating regarding the treatment file abroad, where approximately four thousand cancer patients out of eleven thousand are waiting for permission to travel to continue their treatment, despite having official medical referrals. This disruption comes in conjunction with the deterioration of treatment lists and the shutdown of diagnostic and radiology machines, putting the lives of thousands of patients at real and immediate risk.

The Ministry of Health concluded its statement with an urgent appeal to all international and humanitarian organizations for prompt intervention and response to the cries of besieged patients, emphasizing that suffering increases with every passing hour without providing the necessary treatment and facilitating travel to receive medical care.