UN Press Conference: Gaza Health Crisis - 42,000+ Life-Changing Injuries

Devastating Injury Toll in Gaza

• 💔 Nearly 42,000 people in Gaza have sustained life-changing injuries due to the ongoing conflict.
• 👶 A staggering one in four of these life-changing injuries are among children, exceeding 10,000.
• 🤕 Over 5,000 individuals have undergone amputation, with widespread severe injuries to limbs, spinal cords, brains, and major burns.
• 📈 The total number of injured since October 2023 is over 167,300.

Collapsing Health System and Rehabilitation Crisis

• 🏥 Only 12-13 out of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially functional; none are fully operational.
• 📉 Pre-conflict rehabilitation services are operating at less than one-third capacity, with several facing closure.
• 💔 Gaza has lost at least 42 physiotherapists and 4,000 occupational therapists, with many displaced and some killed.
• 🛠️ Only eight prosthetists are available to manufacture and fit artificial limbs, a severe shortage given the injury numbers.
• 🧠 Conflict-related injuries carry a profound mental health toll, with psychosocial services remaining scarce.

Medical Evacuation and Referral Pathways

• ✈️ Gaza's health system cannot provide specialist care beyond basic emergency treatment, necessitating medical evacuations.
• 🆘 An estimated 15,600 people, including 3,800 children, need to be medically evacuated.
• 📉 WHO has supported the evacuation of 7,841 patients since October 23, but the need is far greater.
• ⚠️ A critical call is made for more countries to accept evacuated patients and for the restoration of the West Bank and East Jerusalem medical referral pathway.

Malnutrition and Overall Health Deterioration

• 🍎 Malnutrition exacerbates injury recovery, with wounds not healing quickly due to poor nutritional status.
• 📈 Malnutrition rates have rapidly increased, with tens of thousands of children assessed as malnourished.
• 💧 Horrific water and sanitary conditions, combined with malnutrition, are further worsening the overall health crisis.
• 📉 The health system is described as disintegrating incredibly rapidly, with constant changes and a decreasing number of functional hospitals.

Mental Health Impact

• 😥 Over a million people in Gaza are estimated to require urgent mental health and psychosocial support.
• 🏥 Previous community-based mental health centers and the sole psychiatric hospital are no longer functioning.
• ⚠️ Services have been suspended in northern governorates due to new incursions, highlighting the ongoing challenges.
• 🕊️ A ceasefire, shelter, regular food and water, access to medical services, and education are deemed essential for addressing mental health needs.