12 August 2014 – Hospitals and health facilities in Gaza are in dire need of support from the international donor community, a senior representative of the United Nations health agency today said following a visit to the Gaza Strip and Ramallah to survey the infrastructure there.
“The level of damage to the health system in Gaza is considerable and requires urgent support from partners and donors,” said the UN World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Director for Eastern Mediterranean, Ala Alwan.
The visit comes two weeks after senior UN officials in the region said that weeks of intense fighting had left the medical services and facilities in the Gaza Strip “on the verge of collapse.”
Dr. Alwan aimed to get a first-hand account of the humanitarian conditions in the area, to meet with local authorities and review the damage to health infrastructure and facilities.
Since the conflict began on 13 June, WHO estimates that 15 out of area’s 32 hospitals have been damaged, in addition to 18 primary health clinics and 29 ambulances.
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