Deformed generation

Doctors in Gaza have reported women with health complications like acute hysteria, eclampsia, hemorrhage and anaemia

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has destroyed the last traces of human dignity as the world stares at the stage show in awe. Hospitals are now reporting of deformed births and pre- and neo-natal deaths. Doctors in Gaza opine that the former are more emotionally-threatening because the child-bearing mothers have to live through the trauma of seeing their deformed child grow up in the prevalent apocalypse.

The tragedy is not just confined to physically deformed births; the trail continues from the time of pregnancy during which women face mental and emotional turmoil in addition to physical. In addition, a lack of basic healthcare for conceiving women, such as regular and sufficient provision of essential minerals and prenatal screening for certain disorders and diseases, spikes the chances of abnormal and still births. Doctors in Gaza have reported women checking in to hospitals with health complications like acute hysteria, eclampsia, hemorrhage and anaemia. Such conditions result in the damage of newborns’ physical and biochemical systems.

On the other hand, as soon as a birth takes place, the baby lacks access to basic facilities of a newborn’s care, such as blankets, first aid, clean and hot water, and many more. Inaccessibility to these resources further leads to deformities at a later stage. For instance, hospitals have reported that several women who gave birth in the last few months had their milk dried up. Subsequently, they would rush their babies to hospitals for nutrition drips, but by the time they had their turn, either the hospital would run out of supply or some other catastrophic disruption would disable the newborn’s access to life.

Perhaps it cannot get any worse than this. The dystopian world we learned about in books has the Gaza crisis shattering all boundaries of its traditional representations.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2024.

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