Gaza has highest rate of limb amputations among children worldwide

Ramallah: The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that Gaza Strip records the highest rate of limb amputations among children per capita in the wo...

Ramallah: The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that Gaza Strip records the highest rate of limb amputations among children per capita in the world.

In a statement, the ministry said that over 5,000 children in Gaza undergone limb amputations during the Israeli occupation aggression on the territory, according to a report issued by the United Nations World Health Organization.

The statement added that at least one-quarter of the injured will require medium- to long-term rehabilitative care, highlighting that Gaza now holds the world’s highest per-capita rate of pediatric amputations, reflecting the severe health and humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

It noted a critical shortage of specialists and equipment, with only eight prosthetics experts remaining in Gaza, working with limited capacity, alongside the destruction or suspension of over two-thirds of rehabilitation facilities before the war.

The Ministry of Health launched a comprehensive national initiative to rebuild and develop rehabilitation services in Gaza, including establishing a dedicated fund for amputee rehabilitation and reconstructing the rehabilitation system toward sustainable recovery.