It was reported that two premature babies have died at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital after the neonatal intensive care unit stopped working due to a lack of electricity, the facility’s Director has said.
According to Al Jazeera on Saturday, thirty-seven other babies, also in the neonatal intensive care unit, are at risk of losing their lives as the hospital runs out of fuel to power their incubators as hospital came under attack.
“Unfortunately, we’ve lost two out of 39 babies because of the power outage,” Abu Salmiya, the head of the largest medical complex in Gaza, said. “We are talking about premature babies who require very intensive care.”
He explained that the two babies died because of a lack of fuel at the hospital which provides electricity to the incubators allowing for warm temperatures, constant flow of oxygen. The hospital has been under siege and a target of fierce Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has cried out that it has lost communication with contacts with the Al-Shifa Hospital after the facility came under attack.
According to the organization, “As horrifying reports of the hospital facing repeated attacks continue to emerge, we assume our contacts joined thousands of displaced people who had sought shelter on hospital grounds and are fleeing the area. There are reports that some people who fled hospital have been shot at, wounded and even killed”.
Over the past 48 hours, Al-Shifa Hospital–which is the largest medical complex in Gaza–has been reportedly attacked multiple times, leaving several people dead and many others injured.
The intensive care unit suffered damage from bombardment, while areas of the hospital where displaced people were sheltering have also been damaged. An intubated patient reportedly died when electricity was at one point cut.
The last reports said that the hospital was surrounded by tanks. Staff reported lack of clean water and risk of the last remaining critical functions, including ICUs, ventilators and incubators, soon shutting down due to lack of fuel, putting the lives of patients at immediate risk according to WHO.
WHO has grave concerns for the safety of the health workers, hundreds of sick and injured patients, including babies on life support and displaced people who remain inside the hospital. The number of inpatients is reportedly almost double its capacity, even after restricting services to lifesaving emergency care.
Patients seeking health care should never be exposed to fear, and health workers who have taken an oath to treat them should never be forced to risk their own lives to provide care.
WHO calls again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as the only way to save lives and reduce horrific levels of suffering. “Hospitals, patients, health staff, and persons sheltering in health facilities are protected under the Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law”.