Narrator:
A racing heartbeat, chest pain, a blocked artery, and the growing fear that help may not arrive in time. For heart patients in Gaza, each day brings new uncertainty.
Inside the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Al-Quds Hospital, doctors are fighting to save lives with very limited resources and only one catheter machine. But the machine alone is not enough.
Dr. Wael Hijazi (cardiologist):
This is the only catheterization machine currently working in Gaza. For the past six months, it has played the main role in saving the lives of heart patients. But if the patient arrives and we don’t have the necessary supplies or equipment, we cannot treat them. We have to refer them abroad, and we don’t know whether they will survive long enough to receive treatment. I expect many patients may deteriorate and die while waiting.
Narrator:
But the challenge goes far beyond a single machine. Specialist equipment like stents and contrast dye are all critically scarce. Without these essential supplies, many life-saving cardiac interventions simply cannot be performed. Doctors say they’re forced to prioritize only the most urgent cases. At least 500 patients are on waiting lists for cardiac procedures, with many waiting weeks as their conditions worsen.
Mohammed Abu Sukkar (cardiac patient):
I’m afraid I will have a stroke while waiting for my operation. I asked for a catheterization procedure, but they told me they don’t have the supplies and that treatment is only available outside Gaza. I cannot leave Gaza. Thousands of people are waiting. By the time my turn comes, it may be too late.
Narrator:
For those on the list, every passing day brings more risk and uncertainty. Until additional supplies arrive, doctors say they’re left making difficult decisions.
Reporter:
Behind me is Gaza’s only functioning cardiac catheterization machine. For thousands of patients here, access to this room means the difference between life and death. Hind Khoudary Al Jazeera, Gaza, Palestine.