Caesarean section without anesthesia for pregnant women
Approximately 380 newborns need treatment
Baby food is ‘biscuit porridge’
Middle Eastern countries establish field hospitals
On the 17th of last month, a woman in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, cries while holding the body of a child who died in an Israeli airstrike. [사진=로이터연합뉴스]
“Can I have a baby?”
“The joy of pregnancy quickly turned into despair.”
This is what full-term pregnant women in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, told CNN. Becoming a mother is a blessing under normal circumstances, but during a war, it is closer to a disaster. As soon as you give birth, both the child and you become closer to death.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) statement on the 6th (local time) and foreign media reports such as CNN, the health condition of pregnant women and newborns in the Gaza Strip has reached a critical situation.
According to WHO, there are about 50,000 pregnant women and those who have just given birth in the Gaza Strip. In the Gaza Strip, more than 180 new lives are born every day.
15% of pregnant women in Gaza have already experienced complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. Israel’s midnight air raids and dead bodies on the streets are stressful for mothers.
“Due to extreme stress, the chances of pregnant women miscarrying or giving birth prematurely are increasing,” Tanya Haji Hassan, a doctor working in the Gaza Strip for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), told CNN.
The birth itself is also very difficult to achieve. According to the International Aid and Relief Organization (CARE), some pregnant women in the Gaza Strip undergo caesarean section while they are sober. This is because there is a shortage of medicines such as anesthetics due to Israel’s complete blockade.
Mothers must be discharged about 3 hours after giving birth. This is because hospitals are constantly being flooded with injured patients and beds need to be emptied.
It’s fortunate if you give birth in a hospital. Some pregnant women are giving birth without receiving medical support at refugee evacuation facilities, such as schools operated by the United Nations. Even shelters are full, so there are reports of babies being given birth on streets littered with building debris.
A child who died in an Israeli bombing in the southern Gaza Strip of Palestine late last month is being transported by car for a joint funeral with his family. [사진=AFP연합뉴스]
Children also face threats as soon as they open their eyes. The Gaza Strip is without electricity. There are very few hospitals that can provide incubators for newborns. The respiratory system, which is essential for premature babies, is also unable to operate.
“Premature babies cannot survive,” said doctor Haji Hasan. “The current situation with electricity cut off is like a ‘death sentence’ for premature babies.”
There is a shortage of water and food in Gaza. WHO said the rate of malnutrition among pregnant women and newborns is increasing. According to foreign media, local pregnant women are unable to properly breastfeed their children due to poor health. Due to a lack of clean drinking water, powdered milk production is also difficult.
CNN reported images of mothers in the Gaza Strip feeding their babies the milk that adults drink. The baby food fed to infants is ‘biscuit porridge’ made by crushing cookies and dissolving them in water.
WHO announced that 4,600 pregnant women and 380 newborns residing in refugee evacuation facilities operated by the United Nations throughout the Gaza Strip are in need of treatment.
WHO emphasized, “To save pregnant women, children, and newborns, we need safe access to more medicines and relief supplies,” and “fuel to run hospitals, water supply facilities, and bakeries must also be immediately supplied.”
A field hospital currently in operation in Al Arish, Egypt. [사진=로이터연합뉴스]
As hospitals in the Gaza Strip reach their limits, Middle Eastern countries are setting up field hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) state-run news agency WAM reported today that the UAE will soon establish a field hospital in the Gaza Strip. According to WAM, the field hospital has 150 beds equipped with general surgery and intensive care units.
Jordan already operates a field hospital in the Gaza Strip. King Abdullah II of Jordan posted on his
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2023-11-07 02:42:56
