11/29/2025
Critical Impact of the Medical Units
High Volume of Care: Providing over 1,600 consultations in a short period since October 2025 demonstrates the overwhelming demand for basic healthcare.
Focus on Vulnerable Groups: The high numbers in pediatric checkups (268) and sexual and reproductive health (368), including prenatal care, highlight the success in reaching mothers, newborns, and children—the groups identified as being most at risk.
Addressing the Direct Conflict: The 428 consultations for trauma and injuries directly address the physical wounds caused by the ongoing conflict.
Recognizing Famine: The 76 nutrition screenings and the identification of severe malnutrition among children and pregnant women confirm the dire humanitarian crisis, especially given the official declaration of famine in the region.
Comprehensive Care: The inclusion of mental health (50 sessions) and protection/gender-based violence (17 consultations) shows an effort to provide holistic care that addresses both physical and psychological wounds, restoring "dignity for families facing unimaginable hardship."
The deployment of specialized staff like pediatricians, wound care physicians, and lab technicians is crucial for providing essential services such as safe deliveries and urgent diagnostics in an environment where the formal healthcare infrastructure has collapsed.
This information comes from the UOSSM Canada Palestine office and the Representative Office of Canada to the Palestinian Authority, lending it significant credibility.
Would you like to know more about UOSSM Canada's specific mission and history, or search for additional details on the current humanitarian health situation in Gaza? That information highlights a very focused and high-impact intervention in a region with an almost completely broken health system.
Here is a breakdown of the context of this aid, focusing on the partner organization (UOSSM Canada) and the larger humanitarian situation.
UOSSM Canada: Dedicated Medical Relief
The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) is an independent, non-political, and non-sectarian non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the health-related needs and well-being of people affected by crises globally.
Global Reach: While UOSSM is well-known for its work in Syria since 2012, its international missions extend to other crisis zones, including Gaza, Ukraine, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya, and Sudan.
Mission and Values: UOSSM Canada is part of a global network and is committed to saving lives, reducing human suffering, and building sustainable health services in the most challenging environments, adhering strictly to principles of neutrality, impartiality, and compassion.
Wider Gaza Efforts: Beyond the two units, UOSSM Canada's work in Gaza includes:
Wound Care: Providing advanced treatment, including over 1,000 Vacuum-Assisted Closure (VAC) devices, to treat open and surgical wounds without reliance on electricity.
Hospital Support: Supporting the restoration of services at major facilities like Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital and the dialysis center at Nasser Medical Complex. They previously fully operated the Indonesian Hospital until they were forced to evacuate.
Mental Health: Providing crucial psychosocial support services, especially for children who are suffering from high rates of PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Mobile Clinics: Before the current units, UOSSM Canada operated up to four mobile clinics in hard-hit areas like Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, delivering primary care.
🚨 Current Humanitarian Health Situation in Gaza
The efforts by UOSSM and others are taking place against a backdrop of a catastrophic collapse of the entire health system.
Casualty Figures: Since October 7, 2023, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reports an enormous casualty toll, including tens of thousands of fatalities and injuries.
𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒂𝒛𝒂 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆, 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒖𝒛𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒖𝒆𝒍, 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎 "𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒔."
Winter Threat: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that the onset of winter is a "threat multiplier." Recent rains have flooded makeshift shelters, risking hypothermia, respiratory infections, and the spread of disease from contaminated water and sewage.
Famine and Malnutrition: While there is debate over the precise rate of malnutrition deaths, the fact remains that nutrition screenings are identifying cases of severe malnutrition among children and pregnant women, confirming the severity of the food insecurity crisis that prompted the declaration of famine.
The two medical units you highlighted are therefore providing a vital lifeline for communities that have no access to normal medical infrastructure, treating both acute conflict injuries and the widespread public health crisis caused by malnutrition, overcrowding, and the cold.