Dialysis crisis deepens in Gaza: Sodium bicarbonate shortage disrupts treatment for hundreds of patients
With sodium bicarbonate stocks reaching the point of exhaustion, dozens of dialysis machines in Gaza have been taken out of service; doctors have warned of the risk of death.
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The supply crisis straining the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip is directly affecting the treatment of patients with kidney failure. It has been reported that dozens of machines have been taken out of service due to the depletion of sodium bicarbonate, which is essential for the operation of dialysis machines, disrupting access to regular treatment for hundreds of patients.
Doctors warned that reducing dialysis sessions could lead to life-threatening consequences for kidney failure patients, such as elevated potassium levels, fluid retention, electrolyte imbalances, and disruptions in the body's acid-base balance. According to experts, this situation could lead to a rapid deterioration in patients' health and an increase in preventable deaths.
DURATION AND FREQUENCY OF SESSIONS REDUCED
Dr. Ghazi al-Yazji, Head of the Nephrology and Kidney Transplant Department at Al-Shifa Medical Hospital, stated that 240 patients with chronic kidney failure are being treated at the hospital's dialysis unit. According to Al-Yazji, while patients were previously receiving dialysis sessions three times a week, each lasting four hours, this schedule cannot be maintained due to the current shortage.
Al-Yazji stated that the department is facing many difficulties and expressed that the "most urgent problem" is the severe shortage of sodium bicarbonate required to operate the dialysis machines. He noted that this shortage has left 25 dialysis machines out of service, with only 26 machines able to operate at limited capacity.
It was stated that health personnel have therefore been forced to reduce dialysis sessions from four hours to three, and the number of weekly sessions per patient from three to two. Al-Yazji said that if sodium bicarbonate is provided urgently, the machines could be put back into operation and patients could receive treatment in accordance with internationally accepted medical protocols.
Wael Skik, who has been receiving dialysis treatment for about four years, also expressed that patients are struggling to survive under very difficult conditions. Stating that reducing both the duration and frequency of sessions increases the burden on patients, Skik emphasized that kidney failure patients are dependent on regular dialysis to stay alive.
Skik called on the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and international humanitarian aid organizations to urgently ensure the entry of sodium bicarbonate into Gaza. In the healthcare system, which is under heavy pressure due to the blockade and attacks in Gaza, shortages of basic medical supplies are further narrowing the service capacity of hospitals.