400 patients facing death in Gaza

Gaza (Alresalah.ps) - The Palestinian Ministry of Health renewed its warnings of escalating medicine crisis in hospitals and centers of primary care in the Gaza Strip.

The ministry stated in a statement that more than 180 medicines are completely lost, and other 200 varieties are in sharp shortage.

Administration of alo'youn Hospital in Gaza City announced that five surgeries have been postponed due to lack of medical consumables and tools they need in hospital for running rooms of surgery operations. The ministry added that medicines that Nabil Sha'ath announced had not reached Gaza yet and the crisis is now expanding to include all health facilities.

Dr. Medhat Muheisen, general director of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, stated they have got promises to receive quantities of medicine from Ramallah, whereas more than 400 kidney patients are under danger of death due to lack of their medicine.

Muheisen stressed that they launched calls at home and abroad in order to get the required varieties of medicine, especially for international and Arab institutions, including Egypt, Turkey and Qatar.

Family of Jenin prisoner appeal for urgent medical treatment

JENIN, (PIC)-- Family members of Palestinian prisoner Ahmed Abul Rub have said that their son held in the Israeli jail of Askalan was in very poor health condition and could die any moment.

Sabria Abul Rub, the prisoner’s mother, said in a press release that her son, 33, could no longer walk on his feet and that he was walking with the help of crutches while he was in very good health when he was first detained and did not complain of any disease.

She said that his condition started with pain that developed after the Israeli prison service refused to offer him proper treatment until he reached the stage of semi paralysis.

Despite the seriousness of his disease, as doctors said, the IPS refused to release him and was content with giving him sedatives, the mother said, noting that her son, who is serving a 15-year sentence, suffered a lot in solitary confinement imposed on him in Askalan jail.

Iraqis protest poverty and occupation

Iraqi protesters take to the streets of Basra, demanding better living conditions and the ouster of incompetent officials as the premier's “100 Day” period for reform expired.

The demonstration was organized by the Democratic Trend in Basra, which includes a group of political parties such as the Communist Party, the Democratic People's Assembly and the Youth Coalition for Change, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The demonstration comes after the end of the “100 Day” deadline requested by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to improve conditions in Iraq and to introduce reforms in his government.

Maliki has backed down from a threat to remove poorly-performing cabinet ministers.

The majority of Iraqis believe the problems stem from the US occupation.

Many observers criticized the demonstrations, saying they are politically motivated and only aim is to topple the Iraqi government, rather than serving the Iraqi people.

The protests for the most part were peaceful, with no police interference reported.

The demonstrators vowed to continue protests until their demands are met.

Since late February, massive rallies have been held in major Iraqi cities, including the capital Baghdad, in protest at corruption, unemployment, the occupation and poor government services.

The Iraqi government, however, has made efforts to stop rallies by slashing the salaries of top officials and politicians.

Earlier in April, Iraq's influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr criticized Maliki's government for imposing a ban on public protests in Iraqi capital of Baghdad, calling the move undemocratic.

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