Theo McDonald
Originally published: Wed 14 Aug 2024 at 02:30C
Originally published by: Irish Independent - view the original article here
A humanitarian organisation set up by a former Munster rugby player is hoping to help surgeons carry out dozens of weekly operations in Gaza using a “clinic in a can”.
One4Humanity wants to deliver the mobile surgical unit made from a shipping container to central Gaza.
It could facilitate 10 surgeries a day in a field hospital run by the International Medical Corps (IMC).
The organisation was founded by former player Shane Leahy along with Norman Sheehan, a risk management consultant in humanitarian crises.
One4Humanity has already provided several of the groundbreaking field hospitals to the war zone in Ukraine and now wants to do the same in Gaza.
Mr Leahy said the charity initially sought to deliver medical aid across the border with Egypt. However, delays meant they turned to a “hospitainer” – an operating theatre in a six-metre container along with a semi-rigid tented scrub room including a recovery room.
“We were hoping to send our first hospitainer to Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza operated by the Anglican Church, but unfortunately that hospital was closed by the Israelis,” said Mr Leahy.
Mr Leahy, who is also CEO of Dublin-based mobile technology firm Oxygen8 Group, said the second hospital choice, the European Hospital, operated by the European Union, was also closed by Israeli authorities.
“We got in contact with the International Medical Corps, who are already operating a field hospital in Gaza,” he said. “They’ve got a 50-bed field hospital with staff on the ground. More importantly, they’ve got the logistics to bring it in as well, including air routes.”
According to IMC, there are now only about 1,500 hospital beds in Gaza for a population of more than two million.
IMC’s Ronny Elfassy said that a container would help ramp up hospital operations in the bombarded strip. “An additional operating theatre would increase the surgical capacity by eight to 10 surgeries each day,” he said.
Set up two years ago in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, One4Humanity has transported more than a dozen mobile hospital units to the front lines in Ukraine.
This includes operating theatres to treat catastrophic burns and injuries along with urgent medical equipment.
Ross Kelly, who is heading up One4Humanity’s Gaza response, said the situation in Gaza is dire, with medical supplies desperately needed.
“Around 5pc of the population have injuries and this percentage seems likely to increase. The situation is especially urgent, given half the population of Gaza are children,” he said.
He mentioned that a strike last weekend, on a school building sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, highlights the desperate need for surgical units there.
“We have just seen the bombing of a school in Gaza, with scores dead. The injured and dead were taken to Al-Ahli hospital, the only Christian hospital in Gaza, which has close links to the Church of Ireland. The Al-Ahli hospital has very limited staff and supplies to treat people,” he said.
According to the World Health Organisation, there have been close to 40,000 casualties and over 90,000 injuries in Gaza since the assault began in response to Hamas’s attack on Israel last October.
Out of 36 hospitals in Gaza, where there are more than 50,000 pregnant women, only 16 remain operational.
The organisation is raising money to provide the hospitainers on its website www.one4humanity.world