Minister of Health Mai Alkaila said yesterday that the Palestinian healthcare sector was suffering acute shortages of medicine due to the Israeli financial siege and limited international donations.
Speaking at an event in Ramallah in the presence of EU, US, and UN officials, Alkaila said, “Like all other sectors, the Palestinian health sector suffers from great shortages due to the financial siege imposed by the occupation, as well as the weak international donations.”
She added: “These shortages negatively affect the services offered to the patients due to the acute lack of medicines.”
The health minister pointed out that Palestinian patients suffer greatly from Israeli “racism” and feel they are living under an “apartheid” regime when they move from Gaza or West Bank’s Area C, which is under Israeli administrative and security control, to receive treatment at hospitals.
She called on the international community and human rights groups to “rein in” the Israeli occupation and stop these practices.
The Palestinian government has been suffering a severe financial crisis since 2019 due to Israel’s significant deductions from the tax revenues it collects on behalf of the PA as well as a significant decline in international donations.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)