Palestine – Intensive medical efforts to produce alternative medications because of Gaza siege

Gaza – Palestine 10/02/2019

After the exacerbating scarcity of medications, the huge deficit in the warehouses of the Ministry of Health in Gaza and the inability to provide treatments to patients in particular those with chronic illness, medical companies and factories intensified their efforts to produce alternative medications in addition to producing chemical compounds used in pharmaceuticals. Marwan Al-Astal, General Manager of Middle East Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics Laboratories Co explained that the company produces over 100 products of medications, painkillers and antidotes. However, they still face many obstacles including preventing active ingredients and medical equipment or parts of it from entering Gaza because of the ongoing siege that Israel imposed on it 10 years ago.