Gaza Pediatrician: Electricity Outages Threaten Lives of 120 Newborn Babies

Frequent electricity outages threaten the lives of 120 newborn babies currently being taken care of in intensive care incubators in Gazan hospitals.(Photo: via Social Media)

August 20, 2020

Consultant pediatrician and Chairman of the Gaza Neonatal Network (GNN) Dr. Nabil Al-Baraqoun warned on Wednesday that the frequent electricity outages threaten the lives of 120 newborn babies currently being taken care of in intensive care incubators in Gazan hospitals.

Dr. Al-Baraqoun explained that the 135 neonatal incubators are all powered by electricity, noting that the frequent power cuts and the use of alternative energy sources cause damage to medical devices such as incubators, resuscitation equipment, and ventilators, which could cause complications for the infants, and even deaths.

He clarified that the alternation in using alternative energy sources like power generators and solar energy does not provide adequate energy to the incubators.

Israel has closed the Karam Abu Salem crossing with Gaza on August 11. Therefore, Gaza’s sole electricity plant is not working, due to the lack of fuel.

Gaza’s population of two million people are currently receiving approximately four hours of electricity per day.

Gaza homes, businesses, and hospitals are relying on generators to make up for the power cuts, increasing the financial pressures on the poverty-stricken region.