Women forced to give birth in makeshift tents as health crisis worsens in besieged enclave
It was past midnight when Ibtisam Al Kafarna’s labour pains began and she was taken to hospital in Gaza’s Deir Al Balah district on a cart.
There were no beds available at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, so Ms Al Kafarna sat for half an hour on a chair after giving birth to her baby boy by Caesarean section.
Because the hospital was full, she was asked to leave shortly afterwards.
“There were two women to a bed,” she told The National. “Women need to rest and eat well after delivery, but those are now considered luxuries.”
Ms Al Kafarna had fled to Deir Al Balah from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, and had not expected to give birth so soon.
The doctors did not examine her baby, nor did they provide her with any painkillers for her surgery.
She is struggling to provide her son with essentials like baby formula and nappies, and her mother-in-law is asking around to find clothes for the mother and baby.
A similar fate befell new mother Rana Hamadona.
Israel’s military operation forced her to flee to Deir Al Balah from Al Sinna district of Khan Younis, carrying her week-old daughter in her arms.
Ms Hamadona gave birth to her baby girl at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, but was asked to leave straight afterwards.
She asked the hospital for an anti-D injection, which she needed because her blood type differs from her husband’s, but she was told the medicine was not available.
“My baby girl wasn’t examined by the doctors, and now she is suffering from a cough,” she told The National from her tent at Deir Al Balah camp in central Gaza.
Ms Hamadona tries to escape from her circumstances by sleeping, which she hopes will enable her to distance herself from thoughts of her sick daughter’s fate.
“Our situation has become worse,” she said.
Wissam Zaqout, the head of the neonatal department at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, said the number of patients seeking treatment had soared during the war, as Gazans fled in large numbers from the north of the enclave to the central region.
This has resulted in a shortage of equipment for newborn care, essential medical supplies to treat respiratory issues in premature infants, as well as medicine for congenital heart defects in children, Mr Zaqout told The National. The issue is exacerbated as an increasing number of babies are born to displaced parents in tents during Gaza’s harsh, cold winter, made worse by extremely poor living conditions, he said.
Prices have skyrocketed due to shortages. A packet of nappies that used to cost about 25 Israeli shekels ($6.80) in Gaza can now cost up to 200 shekels.
“The use of alternatives to nappies leads to skin problems for premature babies,” Mr Zaqout said.
“A baby should be born in suitable conditions, but unfortunately, in the tents, no suitable conditions are available.”
A newborn baby loses body heat quickly in such conditions, which can cause a range of health issues, such as sugar burns and hypothermia.
“Sadly, we have received many cases like these, and unfortunately, half of them lose their lives,” Mr Zaqout said. Fedaa Al Nahal also fled to Deir Al Balah from the enclave’s north, and is staying at an overcrowded UN-run school in the district.
She is nine months pregnant, and worries about giving birth in such adverse conditions.
“I heard about the difficulties that women face while giving birth, and I really don’t want to go through this experience in this way,” Ms Al Nahal told The National. She is also suffering from malnutrition, which could affect her and her baby. “I hope the war ends soon and I can bring my baby into a better world,” she said.
The World Health Organisation has repeatedly warned of the dangers the war poses to health care in Gaza.
“Lack of sustained access to hospitals could dismantle the health system,” WHO spokesman Dr Richard Peeperkorn said this week.
Ms Hamadona gave birth to her baby girl at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, but was asked to leave straight afterwards