The right to health in Gaza is now a privilege

These days, Gaza’s healthcare system is not in the news. There are no violent raids on hospitals, as happened to Al Shifa Hospital , while I was working there in November 2023; there are no bombings of hospital wards or sniper killings in their yards; there are no new claims of secret tunnels under medical facilities.

And yet Gaza’s medical system continues to suffer from worsening collapse. Perhaps, this is the most apparent in displacement camps, where the most impoverished and vulnerable people are forced to live. There, the devastated healthcare system cannot reach those who need it the most, nor are the ill and injured able to come to its few functioning points. Lack of sanitation, safe potable water and constant exposure to unbearable heat or cold make the health crisis even worse.

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit an informal camp that has emerged on the grounds of what is left of Hassan Salama school in the Nasr neighbourhood of Gaza City. The school was devastated after it was bombed along with the neighbouring Nasr school in August 2024, which resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people.

Today, hundreds of people who have been rendered homeless and destitute by the war live in tents in the schoolyard and what is left of the school building. No organisation runs the camp, so there is no provision of any services, including medical ones.

I joined a team of several medics from a local private clinic who offered free check-ups at the camp for a day. Our arrival was warmly welcomed. We saw at least 150 patients.

Complaints ranged from high blood pressure to chronic diseases, such as diabetes and kidney problems, and infections, such as hepatitis and scabies. We also saw many children with chickenpox, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and respiratory infections.

Although we provided just basic services, the gratitude we received was immense.

For many patients in displacement camps, reaching a doctor has become an almost impossible journey that requires effort, energy and resources that are not available to everyone. Transportation costs, long distances and exhaustion caused by displacement and extreme heat all contribute to some patients delaying medical care, despite their urgent needs.