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Gaza Gets First New Hospital in a Decade

Gaza Gets First New Hospital in a Decade
Gaza Gets First New Hospital in a Decade

The Gaza Strip’s struggling healthcare system will get some much needed help in 2016 after the first new hospital in a decade opened its doors in the territory last month and as two more foreign-funded clinics are set to launch this year.

After nearly five years of construction, with delays caused by fighting and restrictions on imports imposed by Israel and Egypt, the Indonesia Hospital opened its doors on Dec. 27 and has since been treating more than 250 patients a day, Reuters reported.

Built on a hilltop outside Jabalya, Gaza’s largest refugee camp, it serves 300,000 people who live in the far north of the territory, an area hard hit in the conflict with Israel in 2014.

Heavy aerial bombardment of the densely populated Gaza Strip killed 2,100 people, mostly civilians, according to Palestinian officials, and caused widespread destruction. Israel put the number of its dead at 67 soldiers and six civilians.

Gaza, home to nearly 2 million people, has around 30 hospitals and major clinics, providing an average of 1.3 beds for every 1,000 people, according to the World Bank.

By comparison, Israel has an average of 3.3 beds per 1,000 and the European Union 5.4 per 1,000.

 

Financialtribune.com