The NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) issued a warning on Saturday (October 28) about the medical situation in the Gaza Strip, where some operations are being carried out without general anesthesia due to a lack of anesthetics. This crisis particularly affected children and women, adding to the suffering in a region marked by intense conflict.
According to Léo Cans, head of the MSF mission in the Palestinian territories, the shortage of narcotics, tranquilizers and opioids has led to desperate situations. Operations are carried out with only half the necessary dose of sedatives, which he says is a terrible situation. Some surgeries are performed without adequate anesthesia, causing extreme suffering for patients.
“There is a shortage of narcotics, there is a shortage of tranquilizers, there is a shortage of opioids. We do a lot of surgeries with half a dose of sedatives, which is terrible,” he said.
Cans shared shocking reports of recent cases, such as the case of a 10yearold child who had to have part of his left foot amputated under semisedation in the hallway of a crowded hospital, in the presence of his mother and sister. Another case involves a 12yearold child with burns on 60% of his body, whose dressings are changed with the help of paracetamol to relieve the pain.
“We have taken in too many children and women, which leads us to believe that the bombings are indiscriminate,” he said.
The situation was made worse by the complete loss of communications in the Gaza Strip, which made it difficult to coordinate medical and humanitarian efforts. Cans emphasized that it is almost impossible for medical teams to coordinate their actions in this chaotic scenario.
“As long as the bombings continue at their current intensity, any efforts to improve medical assistance will inevitably be inadequate,” he stressed.
Médecins Sans Frontières is calling for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further deaths and to allow humanitarian supplies to enter the country. The recent surge in shelling by Israeli forces has devastated northern Gaza, making it virtually impossible for civilians to find shelter.
Hospitals in the region lack medical supplies. The communications blockade has made it even more difficult for medical teams to provide aid to those under the rubble, pregnant women and the elderly in urgent need.
Millions of people in the Gaza Strip are under an inhumane siege that is blocking the flow of fuel, impacting hospitals and drinking water supplies.
Médecins Sans Frontières is ready to increase its response capacity, but intense shelling makes all efforts insufficient. “We are ready to increase our aid capacity in Gaza. We have teams on standby ready to dispatch medical supplies and enter the Gaza Strip to support emergency medical response as soon as the situation permits.”
*Intern led by Thays Martins
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