Dr. Khaled Abd El-Hadi, the vice chairperson of the hospital, said the units are the first of their kinds in the Gaza Strip, which has lacked the necessary medical expertise and equipment as a result of the Israeli blockade.

The expansion of the hospital’s services will benefit many patients with diabetes and chronic diseases, he added, who were previously forced to travel abroad for treatment or face the prospect of having their feet amputated, in the case of diabetes patients, or living with chronic pain because specialist treatments were not available.

The opening of the units coincided with a visit by a delegation from Qatar’s Ministry of Health and the Hamad Medical Corporation with the aim of enhancing the skills of medical staff and the quality of services provided by the hospital. Visiting medical teams performed complex cochlear implants, funded by the Qatari Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and urology operations, and provided training for Gazan medical staff and guidance on prosthetics.

The hospital, which opened in 2019, is funded by the Qatar Fund for Development.