Nearly half of the dialysis machines at Gaza’s largest hospital have stopped working as Israel’s blockade and repeated attacks continue to cripple the enclave’s health system.
Dr Ghazi al-Yaziji, head of the artificial kidney department at al-Shifa Medical Complex, said a severe shortage of sodium bicarbonate, a substance needed to control dangerous acidity in the blood of kidney failure patients, has forced 25 machines out of service.
He said only 26 machines are now operating, and even those are working only partially.
Medical teams have had to shorten dialysis sessions from four hours to three and cut weekly treatment sessions from three to two, al-Yaziji said.
He warned that the cuts are putting about 240 patients with Stage 5 chronic kidney failure at serious risk.
The reduced treatment has increased the danger of heart and respiratory complications, which could prove fatal in some cases, he added.
