Gaza kidney patients at risk amid medicine shortages
The head of Nasser Hospital’s dialysis department, Riyad Barbakh, has warned that critical shortages of medicines and medical needs in the Gaza Strip pose an immediate threat to kidney patients.
In a statement on Saturday, Barbakh described dialysis sessions as the “direct line between life and death for patients.”
He explained that the department carried out 2,159 dialysis sessions during the first half of 2026 despite severe shortages and high operational pressure, relying on a staff of five doctors and 21 nurses working around the clock.
Barbakh urged humanitarian and international bodies to swiftly deliver medical aid and secure dialysis needs to keep services running and protect patients’ lives.