GAZA, (PIC)
Diabetes in the Gaza Strip is no longer just a chronic disease that can be coexisted with through regular medical follow-up and the availability of treatment, rather it has turned into a daily battle fought by tens of thousands of patients to stay alive, in light of the severe shortage of insulin, testing devices, laboratory strips, the continuous deterioration of the health, humanitarian conditions as a result of the Israeli siege, the continuation of the war of genocide and its repercussions.
Doctors, health officials warn that the worsening crisis threatens the lives of thousands of patients, especially children with type 1 diabetes who depend entirely on insulin to stay alive, amid fears of rising rates of serious complications, coma, deaths if the current crisis continues.
“I fear losing my son”
Citizen Abu Hadi, who is a father of a 12-year-old child with type 1 diabetes, said that his family lives in a state of permanent anxiety with every dose of insulin his son receives.
He indicated in an interview with the PIC correspondent that he waits long hours until he finds the medicine, sometimes he is forced to reduce doses for fear of running out completely, pointing out that what scares him most is that his son could slip into coma due to the unavailability of treatment. “I fear losing my son,” Abu Hadi said.
He pointed out that the living conditions inside the displacement centers, tents make it difficult to store insulin at appropriate temperatures, which threatens the loss of its effectiveness.
Continuous suffering
As for the patient Um Ahmad, 48 years old, she confirmed that she had been suffering for months to get the necessary treatment, she said in an interview with the PIC correspondent, “Before the war, I used to check with the clinic, get the medicine easily, as for today, I spend days looking for insulin or testing strips, sometimes I stay without measuring my sugar for a whole month.”
She pointed out that the problem is not only in the medicine, but in food as well, confirming that she cannot adhere to the appropriate diet, in light of the fact that all available food raises the blood sugar level and is considered inappropriate for a diabetes patient.
Worrying figures
The Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed, more than once, that the shortage of medicines, medical supplies had reached dangerous levels, pointing out that the absence of insulin injections exacerbates the suffering of about 11,000 diabetes patients who depend on treatment regularly. The ministry also warned that hundreds of essential pharmaceutical items were running out in hospitals and health centers.
In a previous report by the ministry, a warning was issued that between 70,000, 80,000 diabetes patients in the Gaza Strip face increased health risks as a result of the severe shortage of insulin, sugar testing strips, the decline of medical services, and malnutrition.
For its part, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, confirmed the existence of a severe shortage of life-saving medicines, on top of which is insulin, due to the continuation of the siege and the decline of medical supplies reaching the Strip.
Medical reports reveal that about 2,500 children in Gaza suffer from type 1 diabetes, many of them face increasing difficulties in obtaining insulin, storing it safely, especially with power outages and the absence of appropriate cooling means.
The suffering of patients does not stop at the shortage of insulin only, as patients do not find home sugar testing devices in addition to their high price if they are available, plus the scarcity of testing strips necessary to monitor the disease due to limited supplies, while many are forced to travel long distances to perform sugar tests inside hospitals.
The Ministry of Health warned that the shortage of laboratory materials has reached unprecedented levels, which affects the ability of laboratories to follow up on chronic diseases, including diabetes.
UN warnings
International organizations working in the health field confirm that the deterioration of the health system, the continuation of restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical supplies exacerbate the risks to people with chronic diseases.
Humanitarian reports indicate that the collapse of basic services, the continuation of displacement, power outages, and the lack of fuel increase the health challenges facing patients and threaten the continuity of medical care provided to them.
Doctors and health institutions demand the necessity of accelerating the entry of sufficient quantities of insulin, testing strips, and medical devices for diabetes patients urgently, warning that the continuation of the crisis will lead to a rise in the number of complications and deaths among patients, especially children and the elderly.
In light of the continuation of the unprecedented humanitarian, health crisis in the Gaza Strip, diabetes patients remain among the most vulnerable groups, in Gaza, they are not looking for the luxury of treatment or the quality of life, but for an insulin injection that may mean an additional day of life.
Between empty shelves in pharmacies, health centers suffering from an acute shortage of supplies, thousands of patients remain stuck between fear, hope, waiting for the arrival of a medicine that cannot tolerate delay.
With the continuation of the crisis, every missing dose turns into a real threat to human life, every day that passes without a solution turns into a new suffering added to a long record of pain experienced by the residents of the Strip since the beginning of a war that started three years ago and is still ongoing along with a siege approaching the completion of its second decade without a real breakthrough.