Gaza: stories of loss and survival
9 August 2018, Gaza — Since the start of the demonstrations in Gaza on 30 March, 162 Palestinians have been killed and 17,259 injured as of 30 July, mainly as a result of live ammunition gunshot wounds and gas inhalation.
While many of those injured were treated and discharged at WHO-supported trauma stabilization posts near the frontlines, more than 9,000 patients required hospitalization, including 1,487 children. Critical injuries have left hundreds of men, women and children with amputated limbs, permanently paralyzed, or in need of limb reconstruction, requiring up to seven surgeries and years of rehabilitation. Many of them will be unable to receive the treatment they need due to limited access to health care outside Gaza.
Here are the stories of five children whose lives have been forever changed as a result of the conflict.
Trauma stabilization points: key to optimized trauma care in Gaza
For the first time in Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with partners and with technical support from WHO, has established trauma stabilization points (TSPs) throughout the critical zones of Gaza in order to respond to the mass influx of casualties as a result of the ongoing violence. Five Ministry of Health TSPs and 5 Palestinian Red Crescent Society TSPs were established along the Gaza Strip, only minutes away from the border fence.
TSPs perform 2 main roles:
1. Triage, treatment and discharge of patients with minor injuries;
2. Triage, stabilization and referral of critical patients with life-threatening or limb-threatening injuries.
Both of these functions can substantially decrease the burden on referral hospitals.