Israeli restrictions on medical supplies entering Gaza have caused severe shortages of insulin and blood glucose monitoring equipment, leaving diabetic Palestinian children at growing risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a report says.
Around 3,500 children with Type 1 diabetes need uninterrupted insulin treatment, while shortages of medicines and testing equipment are placing thousands of patients across the strip at risk, Gaza Herald reported on Friday.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, approximately 71,000 Palestinians have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
The report noted that patients face dwindling insulin supplies and shortages of injection pens, blood glucose testing strips and continuous glucose monitoring sensors, leaving many without the tools needed to manage their condition safely.
Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, director of the Al-Tahrir building at Nasser Medical Complex, warned that shortages of diabetes medicines were threatening patients’ health and stressed the urgent need to restore access to essential treatment.
Al-Farra reported that hospitals were receiving patients with severe complications from unstable blood sugar levels, some of whom may require intensive care when treatment is delayed or unavailable.
Without reliable monitoring equipment, patients also face greater difficulty detecting dangerous changes in blood sugar before they develop into medical emergencies, the report warned.
At a protest outside Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis on Thursday, diabetic patients and their families demanded that essential medicines and medical supplies be allowed into Gaza.
According to the report, the collapse of essential services has also undermined safe insulin storage, as prolonged power cuts, inadequate refrigeration and displacement into tents make it harder to preserve the medicine’s effectiveness,
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that 47 percent of essential medicines and 58 percent of medical consumables were out of stock, while shortages of laboratory testing supplies had reached 85 percent, further limiting hospitals’ ability to diagnose and treat patients.
Israel’s restrictions on medical shipments have compounded the damage to Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, with 81 percent of primary healthcare centers forced out of service.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on October 2 that not a single hospital in Gaza was fully functional, citing chronic shortages of medicines and medical supplies.
The organization also highlighted lengthy Israeli approval procedures, noting that medical supplies waited a median of 74 days for clearance.
Gaza’s health authorities are demanding the immediate entry of insulin, diagnostic kits, monitoring equipment and temperature-controlled storage supplies, warning that continued shortages could expose children and other patients to preventable complications and deaths, the report concluded.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health estimated that Israel’s genocidal assault on the territory since October 7, 2023, has killed 74,396 Palestinians and wounded another 175,449, with victims still trapped under rubble and in areas inaccessible to rescue crews.
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website