The rehabilitation sector of the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) warned of worsening humanitarian situation of persons with disabilities in the Gaza Strip due to the extended period of power outage and the deterioration of the socioeconomic situation.
The warnings were raised during a field visit organized by PNGO's rehabilitation sector with participation of representatives of NGOs, international organizations and media outlets to a number of persons with disabilities and their families’ in order to assess the humanitarian situation and the impact of the current crises especially the electricity crisis on persons with disabilities and their families.
Director of the National Society for Rehabilitation, Jamal Rozzi who is also a member of PNGO's rehabilitation sector, said "the purpose of the field visit is to brief the international organizations and media outlets on the sufferings of persons with disabilities and encourage to advocate their issues and rights for a decent life as they are the most vulnerable group within the Palestinian society and the most affected by the deterioration of the economic and social conditions and power outage in the Gaza Strip." He pointed out that 1,200 persons with disabilities use electric scooters which need 8 hours of electric charging and other 8,000 physically disabled persons use medical mattresses which also need continuous electric charging; 2,000 of them already started to suffer from bedsores due the inability to charge mattresses that require continuous electric power.
“About 5,150 persons with disabilities, that suffer breathing difficulties, suffer from cessation of oxygen devices. Due to the power outages they are unable to use their own vaporizers so they are forced to go hospitals and clinics, they have to wait for long hours to receive medical services, leading to the increased burden on the hospitals and the patient’s families.” Rozzi said
The rehabilitation sector's representatives paid a visit to the family of the physically disabled 24-year-old young-man Fuad, who uses electric scooter to practice normal life, move, and go to a local sports club to practice his hobby; tennis sport, but power outage and the inability to charge the scooter deprived him from his hobby or even leaving the house, which leads him to suffers from bedsore and symptoms of depression.
Fuad said, "The power outage affected my daily life; for instance, I stopped going to sports clubs to practice my hobbies because the electric scooter I used to use for moving is not charged enough during electricity supply hours which daily extend to 4 hours only”. He also said that he likes sports and had previously won several local tournaments, but found no one cares for his talent, which left him struggling for his hope lying disabled in his bed instead of exercising his everyday life.
Fuad lives with his small family which consists of his elderly mother and sister Seddika, 30 years old, under difficult economic and social circumstances. Seddika recently became physically disabled and lost the ability to speak because of a stroke, suffering of breathing difficulties as she is unable to use her own atomizer owing to the electricity cuts.
The field visit participants also visited 15-year-old physically disabled boy, Luay, who suffers of spinal cord injury. Luay's mother told the field visit participants that the health condition of her son Luay is gradually deteriorating; he suffers of bedsores due to the electricity shortage as he cannot sleep without a medical mattress that requires continuous electric power. Louay spends long hours indoors without leaving house for any entertainment, because his electric scooter needs to be charged.
''My husband and I alternately turn Louay from one side to another at night while he is sleeping to avoid bedsores, however he still suffers of skin infections due to the severe heat and inability to use the medical electric mattress due to electricity shortage" Luay's mother said. "How long will this situation continue?", she wonders.
Louay's mother called upon all the concerned organizations to exert efforts and take an urgent action to resolve the electricity crisis and ensure a continuous electricity supply for the facilities of persons with disabilities to ensure their protection.
The field visit participants also visited two-year-old Malek and his 14-year-old sister Rania and 10-year-old brother Mohamed, all of them suffer from cerebral palsy. They eat only mashed food.
Their father said that the electricity shortage weakens their (his and his wife's) abilities to cope with their disabled children as they are unable to prepare special meals for them. They also suffer from the hot weather and the consequences of their inability to use electric mattresses due to the lack of electricity supplies.
The children's father called to provide his family with electricity in order to enable him and his wife to provide their children with the special health, social and food care.
The field visit was recommended in a fact sheet issued recently by PNGO rehabilitation on the impact of electricity crisis on persons with disabilities in the Gaza Strip. Note that the total number of people with disabilities in the Gaza Strip is 44,133 persons represent 2.2% of the total population of the Gaza Strip.
The factsheet stated that the continued power cuts, and the current electricity crisis, seriously affected the health and life of persons with disabilities. The factsheet called to provide continuous power supply to ensure the protection of people with disabilities lives, and called to put pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to lift the siege applied on Gaza Strip and to open the boarders for movement of goods and citizens in Gaza Strip, including people with disabilities in order to enable them to travel and move freely, in particularly to guarantee their right of receiving the necessary health treatment services.
The factsheet also called to provide medical drugs, aids and spare parts of people with disabilities to guarantee the safety of their lives, and to apply the national and international laws and legislation concerning people with disabilities, the protection and human rights laws.