DaysofPal— Heart patients in the Gaza Strip are facing a worsening humanitarian and medical crisis, as ongoing Israeli genocide and blockade conditions push an already fragile healthcare system toward collapse.
According to Palestinian medics, patients with cardiovascular diseases are no longer battling illness alone, but also a severe shortage of medicine, equipment, and functioning medical facilities.
Hospitals across Gaza are increasingly overwhelmed with heart patients, while struggling to provide even basic care.
Widespread destruction of medical infrastructure, coupled with critical shortages of essential drugs and equipment, has turned chronic illnesses into daily life-threatening conditions.
Medical staff are often forced to make difficult decisions under extreme resource constraints, prioritizing patients based on availability rather than medical need.
Mohammed Miqdad, 66, has been hospitalized at Nasser Medical Complex for two months, unable to leave.
He requires a pacemaker that is currently unavailable, while his condition continues to deteriorate.
“My life is at risk, and there is no solution,” he said, describing recurring fainting spells and dangerously low heart rates.
Fatima al-Farra, 67, represents another case of mounting suffering. She has long suffered from high blood pressure, which has led to severe complications, including fluid buildup in the lungs and increased risk of stroke.
After undergoing a previous catheterization procedure, she was prescribed a treatment plan she has been unable to follow due to medication shortages.
As a result, her stent has narrowed, returning her to a critical condition.
“I feel that the end is near,” she said, expressing a deep loss of hope.
The crisis extends beyond medication shortages to the near collapse of specialized cardiac services.
Dr. Ashraf Helles, head of the cardiology department at Nasser Hospital, said the healthcare system has largely lost its ability to treat heart disease effectively.
Before the war, between five and eight catheterization procedures were performed daily across multiple medical centers.
Today, only a very limited number of procedures are carried out, restricted to the most critical cases under a strict triage system.
Helles noted that approximately 80% of scheduled procedures have been suspended due to shortages of stents and medical balloons.
In some cases, doctors are forced to end procedures prematurely due to lack of supplies, directly endangering patients’ lives.
Diagnostic capabilities have also been severely affected. Electrocardiogram (ECG) machines are largely unavailable, while echocardiography devices are either scarce or frequently out of service.
This lack of diagnostic tools limits doctors’ ability to accurately monitor patients, leading to delayed diagnoses and worsening complications.
Doctors say they are now operating in crisis-management mode rather than providing proper medical treatment, constrained by resource shortages rather than guided by clinical standards.
Patients in need of treatment outside Gaza face additional obstacles due to strict travel restrictions. Many have died while waiting for permits, turning medical referrals into a race against time.
Data indicate that hundreds of patients and wounded individuals have died awaiting permission to leave Gaza for treatment, underscoring the impact of movement restrictions on access to healthcare.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, heart disease accounts for approximately 56% of all deaths in the territory, a figure expected to rise under current conditions. Around 20,000 patients are struggling to access necessary treatment as the healthcare system continues to deteriorate.
Medical sources say the healthcare sector has been systematically targeted since the start of the war, with hospitals damaged, supplies disrupted, and medical teams operating under catastrophic conditions.
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