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3 premature babies out of 39 in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza lost their battle with life. The war against them was stronger than their ability to withstand, as their very small bodies surrendered while the remaining 36 struggled with their small hearts to survive.

The process of evacuating these premature babies from incubators to other departments after running out of oxygen and fuel left them exposed, as they were wrapped in tin and placed next to hot water in a desperate attempt to keep them alive.

The head of the pediatric department at Beirut Governmental Hospital, Dr. Imad Shukr, explains in an interview with “An-Nahar” that premature babies who are born prematurely or in difficult health conditions require admission to intensive care. This means that children need great medical assistance and support at various levels. About 60 percent of children admitted to intensive care are children who were born prematurely, and each case has its own characteristics and treatment that differ from other cases, but all of them require intensive and intensive care by the medical and nursing team.”

15 million children are born prematurely around the world annually, which constitutes the primary reason for their admission to intensive care, while the death rate ranges between 10 to 15 percent of them in developed countries, and the rate may increase to 20 percent in poor countries with weak and limited medical capabilities. .

Shukr wonders, “The death rate of premature babies in peacetime reaches 15 and 20 percent, depending on the capabilities of each country. So what is the situation in days of war and natural disasters or in very bad conditions, as is the case today in Gaza and its hospitals, where the situation is considered very bad.”

Accordingly, admission to intensive care requires general treatment for everyone, which means that all children who enter care need care or an incubator to maintain their temperature and closely monitor them. It is important to note that the intensive care department is a department that differs from other departments in hospitals, as it requires constant heat and the provision of electricity and oxygen on a permanent and continuous basis, and the most important thing is the presence of specialized medical and nursing teams to deal with these children.

The head of the pediatric department at Beirut Governmental Hospital stresses that the main obstacle in the presence of children in intensive care requires securing medical supplies and modern machines, in addition to the amount of serums, blood, oxygen, and medications. This means the need to have a department equipped with all medical tools and treatments, especially since staying in care is financially expensive and requires special medical care for all its staff.

Unfortunately, the situation in Gaza today is difficult, as hospitals suffer from a severe shortage of electricity, clean water, medicines, and medical supplies. Consequently, the death rate among premature infants will rise alarmingly in such conditions, and may reach 80 to 90 percent. The reason is that the stamina of newborns or premature babies is much less compared to babies born at their due time or older children and adults.

Shukr believes, “In light of the difficult health conditions and the interruption or severe shortage of medicines, medical supplies, oxygen, and other basic requirements and capabilities for treating these children, we may unfortunately witness a death rate that may approach 100 percent. Knowing that there are large numbers of children in Gaza who have died.” We lose them for a simple reason, such as the lack of incubation machines equipped and widely available to maintain their temperature, and thus the absence of these incubators may cause the child’s condition to deteriorate and possibly death. The same applies to treatments, whether concentrated or light, meaning that the shortening, absence, or difficulty of providing them may lead to the death of the child.”

On the other hand, the reality of the war in Gaza and the difficulty of parents being with their children and accompanying them in treatment directly affects the child due to the absence of his mother and not breastfeeding him, or indirectly as a result of his parents not accompanying him in treatment. This would make matters worse.