Gaza's newborns.. small weights and an overcrowded nursery
A report from the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis describes an overcrowded nursery department with numbers exceeding its capacity, receiving 26 cases instead of 14-15, with a shortage of beds and incubators, and placing more than one child in a single incubator, including newborns weighing between 850 grams and one and a half kilograms, increasing the risks of infection and blood inflammation.
A report from the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, describes severe overcrowding in the nursery department, which receives 26 cases despite its capacity being only 14 to 15 cases. The department suffers from a severe shortage of beds, incubators, and medical supplies, forcing staff to place more than one child on a single bed or incubator, including newborns weighing between 850 grams and one and a half kilograms. Nursery doctor Dr. Ismail Baraka says most newborns arrive with low weights or suffer from rapid breathing, and this situation increases the likelihood of bacterial infections and blood inflammation spreading among children. Nurse Hassan Abu Sultan reveals that some incubators have malfunctions yet still receive more than one child, and that reception areas designated for transient cases have turned into places for children needing treatment for several days. Baraka links the increase in cases to several factors, including the concentration of large numbers of displaced people in southern areas of the Strip after the war, along with a lack of food and medical care, contributing to premature births and low weights. Workers demand the provision of medical supplies and support for staff to deal with the increasing numbers.