Hospitals in Gaza City faced severe shortages of blood as they struggled to cope with a sudden influx of trauma injuries during the recent fighting, the British medical aid agency Merlin said today.

Blood stocks depleted rapidly, and emergency supplies had to be transported from hospitals in the south, during 3 days of intense clashes between rival Palestinian factions that left 25 people dead and 245 injured last week.

Christian Bunyan, Merlin's Project Co-ordinator, said the situation highlighted the urgent need to increase regular voluntary blood donations in Gaza.

The latest clashes between Hamas and Fatah security forces and militants brought Gaza City to a virtual standstill and forced Merlin's team to be confined indoors between February 1 and February 4.

Mr Bunyan said: "The Ministry of Health last week made an appeal for blood donors on television and via the mosques, but the response was limited.

"The heavy fighting in the streets prevented access to the two fixed blood collection sites in Gaza City. Mobile blood collection units could not access donors due to road blockades and the tirade of gunfire exchange on almost every street corner throughout the city.

"This situation highlights an intrinsic problem in Gaza's blood transfusion services - that is, the lack of regular donations. Merlin is backing the Ministry of Health's calls for people to donate blood on a regular basis so that hospitals have sufficient stocks of blood to treat not only trauma cases, but blood diseases such as haemophilia, and complicated pregnancies as well."

Supported by the European Commission, Merlin is working with the Ministry of Health to increase blood processing and storage facilities at Shifa hospital and Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya.

In addition, Merlin is providing the necessary equipment to increase blood collection capacity at both hospitals, as well as providing the Central Blood Bank Society with a fully equipped mobile collection unit. This will vastly increase collection capacity at locations throughout the Gaza Strip.

Together with the health authorities and a local organisation, Merlin also aims to raise awareness of the issue, and to encourage regular voluntary blood donations to ensure that sufficient stocks are maintained throughout the year.

End

For further information, contact:

Christian Bunyan

Project Co-ordinator, Gaza

+972 (0)599 111 644

Ju-Lin Tan

Senior Communications Officer

+44 (0)20 7014 1702

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