Kuwait Hospital in Gaza helps patients amid Israeli blockade
Over the past ten years the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, healed wounds and soothed pain of many Palestinians, thanks to efforts by dedicated staff serving at multiple departments, where the hospital receives thousands of cases per month, amid poor health conditions in the enclave due to the Israeli blockade.
The Kuwaiti hospital was the first defense line in Rafah, which experienced like the rest of Gaza cities and towns, three Israeli wars in five years. During the wars, it admitted hundreds of injured people, despite limited resources and equipment.
The hospital was established in March 2007 with support by Al Rahma Association for Relief and Development-Palestine Branch. Annual reports said that the hospital receives about 2,000 to 2,300 emergency cases and 100 births monthly, in addition to conducting 130 to 140 surgeries per month along with hosting 1,200 to 2,000 patients monthly for regular checkup and nearly 1, 400 patients at the dental clinic.
The hospital operates 24 hours a day and provides 24 beds and two ambulances transporting emergency service free of charges to Palestinian citizens. It also offers low costs for medical treatment to Palestinian citizens due to the difficult living conditions, high levels of poverty and unemployment because of the ongoing Israeli siege for more than ten years. And during a meeting with a number of patients, they expressed their happiness for presence of the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah, in time where the town suffers from lack minimum levels of health care.
Meanwhile, Director General of the Kuwaiti hospital, Dr Abdullrahman AlDahoudi said despite what the hospital offers to patients of the Gaza Strip, it still suffers from lack of the capability of receiving more patients and needs an additional building along with more medical devices.
The hospital is also suffering from a shortage in the number of beds and power outages, and needs maintenance for its departments, along with the monthly operational requirements and the payments of about 84 employees’ salaries. The Kuwaiti hospital opened in March a solar energy project to alleviate suffering of patients as a result of frequent power outages.