‘Longer we wait, worse it gets’: Struggle of Gaza’s breast cancer patients
Breast cancer patients in Gaza face delayed diagnoses, medicine shortages and limited access to scans and treatment.
Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Hiba Musbah has already been through seven rounds of chemotherapy for the breast cancer that is plaguing her body. Next week will be the eighth.
But the 36-year-old mother of three, from eastern Deir el-Balah, says her condition has continued to deteriorate as she waits to travel outside Gaza for further treatment.
“I can no longer take care of my children as I used to. My son is the one who helps me,” she told Al Jazeera. Her husband Motaz, who has a heart condition, has had to take on more responsibility as her health has worsened, caring for their three children – Mohammed, 13, Jaber, 10, and Ahmad, eight.
The ministry said surgery for advanced tumours had also been halted because of a lack of specialised medical capabilities.