As Gaza’s hospitals struggle to cope with a surge in casualties, a new trend has emerged to keep patients from becoming overwhelmed- surgery without drugs.
This concept, which is a combination of an ancient Islamic medical tradition and modern medical advancement, has been adopted by a growing number of health care professionals in the region as a way of reducing the burden on the medical system.
Patients in Gaza are being treated without any drugs, anesthesia, or surgical tools. Instead, doctors and nurses are relying on techniques such as detailed examinations and physical manipulation to treat various conditions, including broken bones and wounds. The idea is that if a patient is treated without strong medications, the effects of their injury will be a much shorter time frame.
This approach to medical treatment has been popular in Islamic countries for centuries and has been adopted by some healthcare professionals in Gaza in recent years as well.
The concept of surgery without drugs has been further embraced in recent weeks as the health care system has become increasingly overwhelmed due to the upsurge of casualties from Israeli air strikes and fuel shortages. Patients have been streaming in from other cities to Gaza City, which is home to four major hospitals.
Though surgery without drugs is not a new concept, it has been largely ignored by doctors in Gaza until recently. The health care system was already stretched to its limits before the current crisis and many hospitals were already struggling to cope with basic medical needs.
Now, with the upsurge of injured patients needing urgent medical assistance, the medical system has been pushed to its limits. Limited resources, overcrowding, long waiting times, and shortages of drugs and other medical supplies have made it difficult for doctors to provide traditional methods of treatment. This has led medical professionals in Gaza to adopt the concept of surgery without drugs as a way to treat patients quicker and reduce the burden on the medical system.
Though the concept of surgery without drugs is not the perfect solution to the current medical crisis in Gaza, it is providing some relief to an overburdened health care system and patients in great need.