Palestinian Human Rights Center issues report about medical conditions in the coastal region.

Monday July 30, 2007 15:08 by IMEMC Staff - IMEMC News

The Palestinian Center of Al Mizan for Human Rights issued a report on Monday about medical and medicine supply conditions in the Gaza Strip.

The report stated that Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip are not getting safe or effective medicine, adding that governmental and non-governmental health care societies lack the majority of the needed medicine in the coastal region.

According to the center's report, out of 468 standard types of medicine, the health services in Gaza are missing 120 to 150 varieties, which means 32 percent of the needed medicine is missing in the coastal region.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has stated that this shortage of supply is the biggest since the starting of the second intifada six years ago.

The report said that the international siege -- imposed upon the Palestinian nation a year-and-a-half ago when Palestinians democratically elected Hamas -- has greatly affected the medical and medicine supply in the Gaza Strip. The report said that conditions in the surrounding Gaza Strip will lead to catastrophic outcomes in Palestinian society.

The report concluded by stating that a number of measures ought to be taken in order to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the coastal region, among those measures (1) the opening of all crossing leading in and out of the Gaza Strip and (2) An increase in the amount of funds channeled to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in order to be able to fulfill the demands of the society.

Translated By Ghassan Bannoura – IMEMC News Room

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