1 week Ago By News Ghana
News Ghana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://newsghana.com.gh/who-urges-ceasefire-as-gazas-maternal-child-health-systems-near-collapse/On World Health Day, themed “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,” the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an urgent plea for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where escalating violence and a near-total aid blockade have pushed maternal and pediatric healthcare systems to the brink of failure.
Over 500 children and 270 women have reportedly been killed in Gaza since hostilities resumed on 18 March, according to WHO figures. No humanitarian aid has entered the territory since 2 March, exacerbating extreme hunger, dehydration, and preventable disease outbreaks. An estimated 55,000 pregnant women remain in the conflict zone, with one-third facing high-risk pregnancies.
Approximately 130 births occur daily under deteriorating conditions, including 27% via cesarean section. Roughly 20% of newborns require advanced care for prematurity or complications, though such resources are vanishing rapidly.The territory’s already fragile health infrastructure, strained by mass casualties and shortages of essential supplies, is nearing total collapse.
Hospitals report critical deficits in anesthesia, antibiotics, surgical sutures, and blood reserves needed for emergency obstetric care. Portable incubators, neonatal ventilators, and 180,000 doses of childhood vaccines remain blocked from entry, leaving thousands of infants vulnerable to preventable deaths.A Nutrition Cluster analysis reveals 10–20% of 4,500 surveyed pregnant and breastfeeding women suffer acute malnutrition, compounded by the closure of 21 outpatient treatment sites for malnourished children.
Chronic food insecurity, previously alleviated during a November 2024 ceasefire, has resurged, with families increasingly reliant on scavenged or contaminated water.WHO officials warn that evacuation orders and direct attacks on medical facilities have further crippled access to care. Only 12 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional, with many operating without electricity or sterile equipment.
“The systematic dismantling of Gaza’s health system is a death sentence for newborns and mothers,” said a WHO spokesperson. “Every delay in aid costs lives.”Despite security challenges, WHO continues supporting remaining clinics with dwindling medical stocks, prioritizing emergency obstetric training and deploying mobile teams to conduct deliveries in shelters.
The agency has repeatedly called for the release of hostages, daily medical evacuations, and guaranteed safe passage for aid convoys.Gaza’s current emergency reflects a compounding failure of political and humanitarian safeguards. The territory’s health system, weakened by 17 years of blockade and recurrent conflicts, had shown tentative recovery following the 2023 ceasefire, which enabled repairs to hospitals and resumed vaccine programs.
Today’s collapse underscores how rapidly medical gains unravel under renewed warfare. Historically, Gaza’s maternal mortality ratio—68 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023—exceeds regional averages, but current conditions suggest this figure could triple. Neonatal intensive care units, which previously reduced preterm mortality by 40% since 2020, now operate at 15% capacity.
The blockade of vaccines also raises alarms: Gaza had achieved 95% immunization coverage for preventable diseases like polio and measles pre-conflict, a benchmark now imperiled.Globally, the crisis tests international humanitarian law, which mandates protection of medical facilities during conflicts. Since October 2024, over 60% of Gaza’s health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, per WHO reports, mirroring patterns seen in Syria and Yemen.
Yet unlike those conflicts, Gaza’s dense population and near-total aid dependence amplify risks of famine and epidemic outbreaks.The absence of functional referral pathways for critical cases—previously managed via transfers to Egypt or Israel—has further isolated Gaza’s health workers. With regional tensions stalling diplomatic solutions, the WHO’s ceasefire demand highlights a stark reality: no lasting health recovery is possible without political resolution.
As one Gaza-based midwife told WHO monitors last week: “We’re not just fighting to save lives today. We’re fighting for the survival of an entire generation.” News Ghana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://newsghana.
com.gh/who-urges-ceasefire-as-gazas-maternal-child-health-systems-near-collapse/.
