Gaza doctors ration lab tests as 87% of supplies run short
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At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, Gaza, doctors are rationing laboratory tests because 87 percent of testing materials are unavailable. The shortages have halted blood gas testing and automated clinical chemistry analysers, forcing prioritisation of kidney, cancer, and heart patients. The Gaza health ministry warns that blood banks and laboratories risk shutting down.
Key Facts
- 87 percent of laboratory testing materials in Gaza are in short supply, according to Al Jazeera.
- More than three-quarters of medical imaging equipment in Gaza is out of service.
- Blood gas testing has been suspended at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, affecting cardiac and intensive-care patients.
- Automated clinical chemistry analysers, which laboratories rely on for more than 60 percent of tests, have stopped operating.
- The Gaza health ministry has warned that blood banks and laboratories risk shutting down due to shortages and equipment breakdowns.
Laboratory Shortages
At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, laboratory director Bassem Hassan said tests are prioritised according to the severity of each case, with priority given to kidney, cancer, heart, and intensive-care patients. Blood gas testing, essential for cardiac and intensive-care patients, has been suspended entirely. Shortages of blood-collection tubes, essential for clinical chemistry tests, have further limited diagnostic capacity. Automated clinical chemistry analysers, which handle more than 60 percent of laboratory tests, have stopped operating. Some sterilisation equipment and refrigerators used to store blood and plasma have also ceased working.
Impact on Patient Care
Doctors rely on laboratory results to determine medication dosages, monitor treatment responses, and make urgent medical decisions. Without test results, doctors are left without critical information that could determine patient survival. Cardiology department head Marwan Al-Azaiza said doctors sometimes refer patients to private laboratories if patients can afford the added expense. The Gaza health ministry warned that patients with electrolyte imbalances, high potassium levels, impaired kidney function, and heart disease would be most affected by a shutdown of blood banks and laboratories.
Systemic Collapse
As the third anniversary of the war on Gaza approaches, more than three-quarters of medical imaging equipment in the enclave is out of service. Shortages of laboratory testing materials stand at 87 percent, and there is a 74 percent deficit in essential consumables required for laboratory and diagnostic testing. The Gaza health ministry has warned that blood banks and laboratories risk shutting down due to dire shortages and repeated equipment breakdowns.
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