NHS-trained medics working with UK-Med in Gaza are raising alarms over the severe shortage of humanitarian supplies entering the conflict zone. The lack of essential food has weakened immune systems: delaying recovery, increasing health complications, and worsening outcomes for the already vulnerable population—children being most at risk.
Nearly all patients at the UK-Med field hospital in Al Mawasi, Khan Younis, are suffering from poor nutrition in addition to the illnesses and traumatic injuries for which they were admitted. NHS emergency department nurse from Northamptonshire, Mandy Blackman, who works at the UK-Med field hospital in Al Mawasi said:
“For 14 months, families have been living in tents, eating barely enough food to survive, surrounded by insects, rodents, and human waste, which has taken an enormous toll on their health. People in general are more malnourished and more vulnerable than they were this time last year, particularly children and newborns.
“The babies born at our maternity unit are underweight – some dangerously so – we have dozens of patients with diabetes struggling to manage their blood sugar levels because of poor nutrition, and we have many more whose wounds or illnesses are not healing as quickly as they should be because their immune systems are so weakened.”
According to UN OCHA, between July and October, more than 18,800 children were admitted for outpatient treatment of acute malnutrition. Lack of food, coupled with poor living conditions, is putting people at increased risk of health issues and is delaying their recovery.
Rasha, 31, gave birth at the UK-Med field hospital a month ago. She said:
“There was no food on the market when I was pregnant, so my baby was very small when she was born – only 4.5lbs. My nutrition is still so bad that I’m struggling to breastfeed my baby. I sit with her all day and try to feed her but it’s so difficult. I feel so sad that I can’t even provide my own milk for my baby. She cries because she’s hungry, and I cry with her.”
Dr Ahed, a Palestinian primary health doctor with UK-Med said:
“We are seeing vitamin deficiencies and lack of nutrition among all age groups, but the most vulnerable are children, the elderly, those with chronic illnesses, and pregnant women. For patients who are injured, protein deficiency impairs the healing process and increases the rate of wound infections. Most if not all of the patients I see are suffering from lack of nutrition.”
UK-Med operates two field hospitals in the Gaza Strip, where it has treated more than 260,000 people since January. To support its work in the region, UK-Med has launched a Middle East Crisis Appeal and is actively calling for public donations.
- £40 could buy a haemostatic bandage, used to stop catastrophic bleeding.
- £100 could buy a splint to stabilise limb fractures.
- £250 could buy a trauma first aid kit for serious bleeding and injuries
To donate, visit: https://www.uk-med.org/middle-east-crisis-appeal/
For interviews with medics, both those currently deployed in Gaza, contact UK-Med’s media team at media@uk-med.org.
Notes to Editors
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- Born of the NHS, for nearly 30-years UK-Med has been saving lives in emergencies.
- UK-Med is the only UK non-governmental organisation to be verified as an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) by the World Health Organization. With a roster of more than 1,000 NHS and international medics, UK-Med draws on NHS staff from trusts across the UK to support its emergency responses.
- UK-Med’s roster of on-call humanitarians comprises NHS clinicians, international medics and humanitarian aid professionals with expertise in logistics, security, and WASH. Its teams are ready to respond to global health crises at a moment’s notice, 24/7, 365 days a year.
- The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) helps fund UK-Med’s humanitarian response in Gaza, including its two field hospitals.
- The number of clinicians deployed at any one time from the NHS is very small, representing a small proportion of the total NHS workforce. To date, UK-Med has rotated around 30 NHS clinicians through Gaza.
- Clinicians joining a UK-Med response either take annual leave or study leave, to ensure that NHS service delivery is not interrupted.
