Gaza, ALRAY - Minister of Health in Gaza Mofid Al-Mukhalalati appealed to the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border and save thousands of patients and the health sector as a whole that has being suffocated for about 10 consecutive weeks.  

He reviewed Wednesday in a press release the impacts of the siege on the health services in Gaza, "30% of medicine were entering Gaza from Egypt and other countries through the Rafah crossing; the rate decreased to 0% and no pharmaceutical type could be allowed to the Strip,"

"The health sector has deteriorated and suffered from a severe disaster after it had achieved a great progress in reducing the deficit in the pharmaceutical inventory  to 20%. By the closure of the crossing, 148 of 500 of  basic  types of medicine run out and the number is increasing."

“460 kinds  out of 904 of the basic medical disposables have run out added to 100 types threatened to run out in the coming period this year,” he noted.

About thousand patients including over 300 referral cases in critical conditions are prevented to enter the crossing.

The electricity outages for 12 hours a day, the lack of fuel necessary for working the electrical generators and ambulances increased and the need of fuel had risen to 360.000 liters a month.