By Lara Adejoro
The World Health Organisation said 12 children with cancer or other blood disorders have been evacuated, with their companions, from the Gaza Strip in the occupied Palestinian territory to Egypt and Jordan so they may continue their treatment safely.
It also said additional children are expected to be evacuated for cancer treatment as part of this initiative.
“To facilitate the move, the WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have coordinated with officials from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the occupied Palestinian territory, and the United States of America, as well as members of the St. Jude Global Alliance, a worldwide community of institutions and foundations dedicated to helping children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
“WHO welcomes the evacuations of children needing treatment for cancer and emphasizes that sustained, orderly, unimpeded and safe medical evacuations of critically injured and sick patients into and via Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing are essential,” WHO noted in a statement on Friday.
Israeli authorities said the Palestinian militant group Hamas staged a shock attack on Israel on October 7, killing more than thousands of people.
The war is already endangering patients and hampering health workers.
It added that it is jointly committed with St Jude to facilitating the evacuation of more paediatric cancer patients, and their family members.
“I am relieved that children in vital need of cancer care have been able to leave the insecurity and uncertainty in Gaza and continue receiving life-saving treatment in Egypt and Jordan,” said the WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus.
“I also note the efforts, coordinated by St Jude and WHO, of all relevant authorities to put the health needs of these children first.
“This show of desperately needed humanitarian action should serve to motivate increased access to life-saving care to all people affected by this conflict, both inside Gaza where needs are greatest today, and beyond. I pray this initiative can inspire all parties to put health and peace first.”
Reportr Door Healthwise reports that the current conflict has obstructed exit for patients from the Gaza Strip, while severely restricting the entry of essential medical supplies, including chemotherapy.
St. Jude President and CEO, James Downing said: “Working together, WHO and St. Jude have built relationships with the global community of physicians treating children with cancer. These relationships made it possible to evacuate children from Ukraine early during that war.
“St. Jude has also supported pediatric cancer patients in the Eastern Mediterranean Region for more than two decades. As a result, St. Jude, working with WHO, is well positioned to facilitate the evacuation of pediatric cancer patients from Gaza.”
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