SAFA - The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip warned on Sunday of catastrophic and unprecedented consequences that threaten to bring the medical system to an almost complete halt, following notification by the World Health Organization (WHO) to a number of hospitals and health centers that fuel allocations designated to operate electric generators would no longer be supplied starting September 19.

Mahmoud Hammad, Director General of Administrative Affairs at the Ministry of Health, said in press statements that the ministry had received an official notification from the organization stating that it would be unable to continue securing diesel fuel for health facilities in the Strip from the specified date. He noted that the notification had so far been sent to around 13 private hospitals and seven health centers, with further notifications continuing to reach additional facilities.

Hammad stressed that cutting off diesel supplies would directly affect the “cold chain” responsible for preserving vaccines and temperature-sensitive medicines. He confirmed that a power outage would result in the immediate and widespread spoilage of stocks of essential childhood vaccines and vaccines used in immunization campaigns, in addition to making it impossible to receive or distribute any new vaccine shipments in the absence of continuous refrigeration.

He explained that medical facilities in the Gaza Strip rely entirely on electric generators to compensate for the complete shutdown of the electricity grid, making fuel the only remaining lifeline for operating medical equipment and oxygen-generation stations.

The Director General of Administrative Affairs pointed out that the consequences would not be limited to vaccines and primary healthcare, but would immediately extend to threaten the lives of hundreds of patients and injured people in critical care units.

Hammad stressed that continuing with this decision would effectively force the remaining health centers and private hospitals out of service, reducing them to little more than first-aid points incapable of providing the necessary medical interventions.

He concluded his statement by calling on the international community, relief organizations, and relevant UN agencies to intervene urgently and exert pressure to reverse this measure, and to ensure a sustainable and unconditional flow of fuel supplies, medical equipment, and vaccines, in order to avert a large-scale health and humanitarian catastrophe affecting the besieged population of the Strip.

In the same context, the Gaza Ministry of Health warned that the shortage of generator oil in hospitals was worsening, stressing that the crisis was now threatening the ability of health facilities to continue operating the generators needed to meet their daily electricity requirements.

In a statement, the ministry said that the limited quantities of oil allowed to enter during the recent period amounted to no more than emergency supplies and did not meet operational requirements or the necessary technical maintenance and monitoring procedures needed to keep the generators operational.