The Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry warned of a sharp deterioration to rock the health status of cancer-stricken patients due to the acute shortage in life-saving medicines and difficulties in inter-hospital transfers.
The Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said several cancer-stricken patients have become on the verge of death after Gaza’s Rantisi Hospital had run out of 20 types of much-needed medicines that make part of regular treatment protocols.
Al-Qidra attributed the crisis to the reluctance of the Palestinian Authority (PA) chaired by Mahmoud Abbas to transfer patients to hospitals outside Gaza.
According to data by the Health Ministry 12 Palestinians from the blockaded Gaza Strip were pronounced dead since the start of 2017 after they were prevented by the PA from receiving treatment outside Gaza.
