WHO calls for Gaza patient access, evacuations after violence

WHO calls for Gaza patient access, evacuations after violence
A Palestinian man holds an injured girl awaiting medical care at al-Shifa hospital, after an Israeli air strike in Gaza city, on May 11, 2021. (File/AFP)
Updated 28 May 2021
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WHO calls for Gaza patient access, evacuations after violence

WHO calls for Gaza patient access, evacuations after violence
  • WHO spokeswoman said around 600 patients, including some with chronic conditions, needed to be referred outside of the Palestinian enclave

GENEVA: The World Health Organization called on Friday for access to patients in the Gaza strip and the possibility to be able to evacuate them for medical treatment as health workers struggle to care for the sick and wounded after 11 days of violence.
WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a Geneva briefing that around 600 patients, including some with chronic conditions, needed to be referred outside of the Palestinian enclave since hostilities began earlier this month, but had been unable to due to crossing closures.
Dozens of health centers were damaged during Israeli bombings earlier this month, prompting the WHO to warn that facilities risked being overwhelmed.