According to Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" on December 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the 10th that the "catastrophic" medical and health situation in the Gaza Strip may be difficult to improve.
On the 10th, the WHO Executive Committee convened a special meeting on the health situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in Geneva, Switzerland, and adopted an urgent motion submitted by Afghanistan, Qatar, Yemen and Morocco. The motion seeks access for medical personnel and supplies into the Gaza Strip, asks the WHO to document violence against health care workers and patients, and raises funds for the reconstruction of hospitals.
Tedros told the WHO Executive Board on the same day that even if they unanimously passed the emergency motion, the "catastrophic" situation on the ground would not improve.
"I have to be honest with you to tell you that in the current situation, it is almost impossible to accomplish these tasks," he said. ”
Still, he praised the consensus and said it was the first time since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that a UN motion had been unanimously adopted.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Gaza Strip has seen a surge in demand for health care and an increased risk of disease, but the capacity of the health system has shrunk to one-third of its pre-conflict level.