INMO conference hears of children in Gaza 'enduring surgery without pain relief'

Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid thanked Ireland for their support and read a moving message from her cousin in Gaza who urged people to “raise your voice” against this war. Photo:INMO

Children in Gaza are facing surgery without adequate pain relief and pregnant women struggle to get access to care, the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland has told the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation annual conference.

Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid thanked Ireland for their support and read a moving message from her cousin in Gaza who urged people to “raise your voice” against this war.

“It is a war of collective punishment,” she said, going on to describe the horrors of mass graves discovered in hospitals.

“They discovered another one, another in Al-Shifa Hospital. It was actually the smell that brought many people to discover this. I don’t know how many hundreds (of bodies) they will find.” 

She said “more than 491 healthcare personnel” have been killed. “31 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza have sustained damage from the Israeli Occupation Forces attacks.”

“With 12 hospitals remaining and only partially functioning in the Gaza Strip, the health system is struggling to address rising needs especially due to the outbreak of infectious diseases.” 

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In addition 24 hospitals are now completely out of service, she said, adding that also “155 health facilities and 130 ambulances have been damaged".

Referring to pregnant women, she said 15% of the estimated 5,500 women giving birth every month in Gaza face potentially life-threatening complications but the “devastating conditions” limit their access to help.

“Save the Children report a shortage of strong pain relief medications, steroid creams, antibiotics and ointments,” she said.

All of this is hampering the treatment of simple diseases and forcing children to endure limb salvage surgeries without adequate pain relief.

INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha described visiting the West Bank last year as part of a union delegation, describing it as “an apartheid state". She saw ambulances queuing to cross the border, including pregnant women “very close to giving birth” waiting in lines, she said.

The second day of the conference at Croke Park also discussed this in a series of motions. Delegates approved a motion urging the conference “unequivocally condemns the ongoing attacks on civilians and healthcare workers in Palestine". 

Speakers also referenced the Dunnes Stores workers' protests against apartheid in South Africa as an inspiration for potential campaigns in Ireland.