- Title: ICRC donates vital medical equipment to Gaza in coronavirus crisis
- Date: 23rd April 2020
- Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (APRIL 23, 2020) (REUTERS) WORKER IN VEHICLE MOVING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PACKAGES FROM TRUCK SIGN WITH LOGO OF INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF RED CROSS AND READING IN ARABIC: 'DONATION FROM INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF RED CROSS' OFFICIALS OF GAZA'S HEALTH MINISTRY AND ICRC DELEGATION CHECKING PACKAGES HEAD OF THE ICRC DELEGATION IN ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES, DANIEL DUVILLARD, CHECKING PACKAGES, WEARING MASK MAN HOLDING MEDICAL MACHINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF THE ICRC DELEGATION IN ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES, DANIEL DUVILLARD, SAYING: "The health system in Gaza is unable to cope with any crisis of any dimension including this and without exterior help, without international help. And this is the commitment of the international committee of the Red Cross to contribute to the health system in Gaza and to support the most vulnerable people." ICRC VEHICLE AT SCENE, PALESTINIAN WORKERS MOVING PACKAGES FROM TRUCK TO STORAGE ICRC DELEGATION AT SCENE WORKER MOVING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PACKAGES FROM TRUCK DUVILLARD AND GAZA'S HEALTH MINISTRY OFFICIAL, ABDULLATIF ALHAJ, AT SCENE SIGN OF ICRC ON PACKAGES (SOUNDBITE) (English) GAZA'S HEALTH MINISTRY OFFICIAL, ABDULLATIF ALHAJ, SAYING: "Gaza is facing this Covid-19 pandemic with its fragile and over-stretched health system, due to long years of closure and siege and poverty and shortages of many resources." ICRC VEHICLE AT SCENE, WORKERS MOVING PACKAGES WORKER MOVING PACKAGES INTO STORAGE SIGN OF GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF PHARMACY BUILDING IN GAZA KEREM SHALOM, GAZA (APRIL 21, 2020) (REUTERS) TRUCK CROSSING INTO GAZA THROUGH CROSSING BETWEEN ISRAEL AND GAZA SIGN READING IN ARABIC: 'KEREM SHALOM COMMERCIAL CROSSING' ICRC DELEGATION CHECKING PACKAGES LOGO OF ICRC ON PACKAGES VARIOUS OF TRUCK MOVING PACKAGES INTO GAZA
- Embargoed: 7th May 2020 13:55
- Keywords: Gaza Health ICRC Red Cross coronavirus
- Location: GAZA CITY AND KEREM SHALOM, GAZA
- City: GAZA CITY AND KEREM SHALOM, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001CAPR7LZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) donated on Thursday (April 23) vital intensive care equipment to Gaza hospitals but said they remain under-equipped for any wider outbreak of the new coronavirus in the territory.
With passage through Gaza's borders tightly controlled by neighbouring Israel and Egypt, only 17 people have tested positive in the Palestinian territory for the novel coronavirus.
But health authorities are concerned about the risk of widespread infection among a population of two million living in close quarters in the small coastal enclave.
The ICRC aid included a ventilator, patient monitors, defibrillators and suction devices and pumps - key tools for treating serious cases of COVID-19, according to statement by the organisation.
The ICRC said there were only 93 ventilators in Gaza, or one for every 21,505 persons in the territory, where quarantine facilities have been set up by local health authorities for Palestinians who enter via Egypt or Israel.
Health officials in Gaza said they were in immediate need of 100 ventilators, 140 intensive care unit beds and $23 million for their anti-coronavirus emergency plan.
(Production: Bassam Masoud, Mohammed Shana, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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