GAZA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Up to 76 percent of medical imaging equipment in hospitals across the Gaza Strip is out of service, threatening the lives of thousands of patients and wounded people, a local medical official said Tuesday.
Ibrahim Abbas, director of the Medical Imaging Unit at Gaza-based health authorities, said in a statement that imaging services in Gaza's remaining operational hospitals are facing "serious and critical challenges."
According to him, 76 percent of medical imaging equipment has stopped functioning, while the remaining 24 percent consists of old and worn-out devices operating under extremely difficult technical conditions.
Routine maintenance has nearly come to a halt due to restrictions on the entry of spare parts needed for repairs, he said, warning that imaging services across the enclave could collapse entirely at any moment.
All MRI services in Gaza have stopped after nine MRI machines were destroyed during the ongoing conflict, while only five of the enclave's 18 CT scanners remain operational, he said. Only 33 of the 88 X-ray machines available before the conflict are still functioning, and only five of the 16 fluorescence imaging devices used in complex surgical procedures remain in service.
Abbas warned that the continued disruption of medical imaging services is hindering life-saving medical interventions and could further worsen health conditions for thousands of wounded and sick people in Gaza.
