Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
An elderly dialysis patient in Gaza travels by donkey-drawn cart to receive treatment due to damaged infrastructure and scarce transportation. The patient has required thrice-weekly dialysis sessions since January 2024, often enduring intense sun with limited ways to alleviate discomfort, according to a United Nations report.
The patient’s grandson frequently stops to readjust the wheelchair on uneven roads, making the journey physically demanding and causing an immediate need for oxygen upon arrival at the Nasser Medical Complex dialysis center.
Healthcare staff at the center are under pressure from a growing number of patients and a shortage of dialysis machines. Treatments last three to five hours, and patients face insufficient equipment and high temperatures, sometimes bringing their own fans and oxygen cylinders.
The World Health Organization reports Gaza’s health system is operating at reduced capacity after recent conflict, with damaged facilities and restricted medical supplies hindering care, especially for those needing regular treatment for chronic diseases.