GAZA, April 19, 2017 (WAFA) - In its monthly report on health access of Gaza patients seeking medical treatment outside of the blockaded Gaza Strip published Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) brought up the case of a 4-year-old patient with congenital heart defect who has been waiting since 2015 to get an Israeli army permit to leave Gaza through Erez (Beit Hanoun) military checkpoint to get treatment at a hospital in Israel.
Here is Rodina Abu Khrais’s story as reported by WHO:
“Rodina Abu Khrais, a 4 year-old-girl with a congenital heart defect, has been unable to access urgent health care for the past two years. In 2013 Rodina had heart surgery in Tel Hashomer hospital shortly after birth and had three follow up visits, one of which required an admission for one month. Since July 2015, the family has applied 10 times for an exit permit for catheterization and evaluation for additional heart surgery for the child without success.
“Seven times the request was still under study on the date of the hospital appointment, and on two occasions the family was asked to change the companion. Once there was no response at all to the request. All four grandparents and a family relative have been listed as possible companions but no approval was given.
“The child has a number of disabilities, said the father. ‘Rodina depends on oxygen therapy most of the time, and cannot talk or walk. She also has a hearing impairment and clings to her mother most of the time.’ The family has appealed through the ICRC and two local human rights organizations without success and has another permit request pending.”
In addition to the Abu Khrais case, the report said that 40% of Gaza patients seeking treatment outside the Gaza Strip and who applied for Israeli exit permits were denied or delayed permits.
Of 2,391 patient applications for a permit to exit Gaza through Erez checkpoint for hospital appointments in February, 1,431 (59.85%) were approved; 74 patients (3.09%) were denied permits while 886 (37.06%) received no response including 192 children and 77 people over 60 years, said the report.
About half of patients’ companions were denied or delayed permits, said the report.
The approval rate for permit applications of patient companions was 50.4%; 4.5% of the companions were denied permits and the remaining 45.1% were still pending by the patients’ scheduled hospital dates.
It said 35 patients (25 males; 10 females) including 3 men over 60 were requested by the General Security Services for interviews at Erez during February. Six were approved.
M.K.
