30 July 2024
Jerusalem, Cairo, Geneva – Immediately, 85 sick and severely injured sufferers from Gaza had been evacuated to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for specialised care. This extraordinarily advanced joint evacuation was supported by the the World Well being Group (WHO) in partnership with the Authorities of the UAE and different companions. That is the most important medical evacuation outdoors Gaza since October 2023.
“I’m immensely grateful to the United Arab Emirates for evacuating sick and severely injured sufferers from Gaza and offering them with lifesaving medical care,” stated Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Jap Mediterranean. “This initiative is a transparent demonstration of the intra-regional solidarity that’s urgently wanted. Assist to individuals within the Area should begin from the Area. Hundreds extra inside Gaza stay in danger with out entry to superior medical care. I urge Member States who’re in a position to obtain and look after extra sufferers to take action.”
The sufferers embody 35 youngsters and 50 adults, who had been transferred from Gaza through Kerem Shalom to Ramon Airport in Israel, with help from WHO. Fifty-three sufferers have most cancers, together with 4 youngsters, 20 have trauma accidents, 3 have blood illnesses, together with thalassemia, 3 have congenital situations, 2 have fanconi anaemia, 1 has a neurological situation, 1 has cardiac illness, 1 has liver illness, and 1 has renal failure. Sixty-three members of the family and care givers accompanied the sufferers.
“We’re grateful to the UAE for supporting the evacuation of those sufferers to obtain the pressing care they want,” stated Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-Basic. “We hope this paves the best way for the institution of evacuation corridors through all attainable routes, together with the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings to Egypt and Jordan, and from there to different nations. We additionally name for evacuations to the West Financial institution, together with East Jerusalem, to be restored. Hundreds of sick individuals are struggling needlessly. Above all, and as all the time, we name for a ceasefire.”
The evacuation, initially scheduled for 29 July, was postponed, including important challenges to the operation, and diverting scarce sources.
Regardless of broken roads, insecurity, and dangers to their very own security, the WHO workforce organized and managed the switch of sufferers from varied areas in Gaza to the Kerem Shalom crossing underneath extraordinarily difficult situations.
Previous to the evacuation, 9 sufferers had been transferred by WHO and companions on July 27 from northern Gaza to the Palestine Purple Crescent Society (PRCS) subject hospital in Deir al-Balah for stabilization and additional motion. Different sufferers had been picked up from 5 places in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. Some critically injured sufferers, who had already been relocated to the ultimate departure level within the south, had been accommodated and cared for on the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) subject hospital in Deir al-Balah, in coordination with WHO, following the postponement of the mission. WHO and the Worldwide Medical Corps workforce supplied medical provides, electrical energy, secure water and sanitation amenities on the hospital as it’s nonetheless being arrange.
In the course of the evacuation, sufferers underwent back-to-back switch at Kerem Shalom, the place they boarded buses, organized by WHO, heading to the airport after safety checks. WHO supplied wheelchairs to make sure sufferers may safely swap buses on the crossing, organized entry to meals, water and medical professionals throughout the complete journey inside Gaza and en path to the airport, and supported affected person documentation.
Different companions supporting the evacuation included the emergency medical groups Cadus and Worldwide Medical Corps, MSF Belgium and PRCS.
Since October 2023, round 5000 individuals have been evacuated for remedy outdoors Gaza, with over 80% receiving care in Egypt, Qatar and the UAE. Over 10 000 extra individuals in Gaza nonetheless want medical evacuation. Immediately’s evacuation follows earlier ones to Spain and Belgium from Cairo, coordinated by WHO. Twenty sufferers have been evacuated to those nations prior to now few days.
The WHO continues to name on the worldwide neighborhood to accentuate efforts to make sure secure, sustained, well timed, and arranged medical evacuations.