INDONESIA HOSPITAL IN GAZA RESUMES LIMITED OPERATIONS AMID EXTENSIVE DAMAGE

JAKARTA, June 20 (Bernama) -- The Indonesia Hospital in Beit Lahia, located in the north of the Gaza Strip, resumed limited operations on June 1 amid extensive damage and equipment loss incurred during Israeli attacks.

According to MER-C, an Indonesian humanitarian organisation specialising in medical emergency response, the hospital’s equipment and mechanical electrical installations on the first and second basement floors of the hospital were severely damaged by the Israeli army.

 "Radiology equipment such as CT scans and X-ray machines at the Indonesia Hospital were also damaged by the Israeli Army," reported Edy Wahyudi, a MER-C volunteer in Gaza.

Currently, active rooms include the registration room, medical records room, emergency room, operating room, intensive care unit, and a ward with a capacity of 140 beds.

However, the laboratory's functionality remains limited, with much of its equipment, including the blood bank, damaged.

"All large generators, with capacities of 400 and 500 kilo-volt-amperes (KVA), were destroyed by bombing, and the 600 KVA generator was temporarily relocated from the hospital," he said.

Edy said that the hospital's solar panels on the roof were damaged by artillery fire, leaving only small-capacity generators, which can only be used alternately for the hospital's four operating rooms.

The construction of Indonesia Hospital began in 2011 on land donated by Gaza authorities, funded by donations from Indonesian citizens through MER-C.

The hospital is managed by Palestinian authorities, with intermittent assistance from Indonesian volunteers.

In these challenging circumstances, MER-C chairman Dr. Sarbini Abdul Murad has called for support from the Indonesian people and government to send engineers and technical personnel promptly.

He expressed optimism that with major renovations after a permanent ceasefire, the hospital's capabilities can be fully optimised to provide the best possible care to the people of Gaza, especially in the northern region.

-- BERNAMA