Majority of Drug Assistance to Gaza ended in Trash

Monday, 08/23/2010
Humanitarian assistance in the form of medicines which are sent to the donor countries pascaagresi Gaza Israel to the region in December-January 2008, many of which can not be used and wasted due to poor quality of relief goods, the type of medicine rather than drugs needed in Gaza , even had almost expired.

Hamas in Gaza's health ministry and World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that low quality of humanitarian assistance and had almost expired it should end up in landfill in Gaza because if used would endanger the health of Gazans.

In addition, according to some doctors in Gaza, medical equipment be sent as reinforcements to the Gaza outdated, obsolete - even some that he was more than 10 years -, in a damaged condition and not in accordance with the use of electricity in Gaza.

Ministry of Health in Gaza said, of all medical assistance received during the last 18 months, approximately 70 percent of medical aid worth millions of dollars had been trashed. A doctor in Gaza, commented on this condition, said Gaza has become a place of exile of humanitarian aid goods, so many kinds of relief goods that had discarded because they can not be used.

But apparently there is something more alarming. "Sometimes the drugs were sent to the borders of Al-Arish in Egypt before entering into Gaza. If the officer in Gaza said that the assistance of drugs can not enter because it has expired, the drugs were then shipped to another place, namely to Darfur Sudan! " said the doctor who did not want his identity known.

Hamas's Health Ministry revealed that two months ago they received the assistance of Tamiflu - the drug for those who are attacked by the bird flu virus - two million dollars. But because of the threat of bird flu virus has been passed, they refused the drug and dumped into a garbage dump in Gaza.

One cause of this situation according to Dr. Ehab Hijazi, head of Hamas's Health Ministry Donation Committee, because the countries and aid organizations did not coordinate directly with Hamas to see what drugs and medical equipment that is needed in Gaza. Currently, Hijazi said, hospitals, hospitals in Gaza need 115 kinds of medications, including antibiotics and drugs for cancer.

Countries and aid organizations did not want to coordinate with the Hamas because Hamas by many Western countries included in the list of terrorists, and they feel bound by it. In fact, if the donors want a dialogue with Hamas, they will not face the risk of their assistance was rejected so that their aid is not wasted. (Ln / ICH)