UK denies visa to critically injured children from Gaza for medical treatment

The United Kingdom government has denied visas to Palestinian children seeking immediate medical treatment outside Gaza, despite local organisations raising funds and making efforts to help patients who are critically injured due to the Israeli assault in the enclave.

For the past five months, British organisations and doctors have been striving to bring critically injured Palestinians to the UK for treatment. However, they have expressed dismay at the UK government's indifference, a report by Middle East Eye revealed.

NGOs working to evacuate people from Gaza or provide aid are overwhelmed by the sheer number of requests, which surpasses the capacity of any single nation or organisation to address the crisis alone.

Due to an acute shortage of antibiotics and medications, doctors in Gaza are forced to prioritise treatment based on which children with burns have the highest chance of survival.

When Middle East Eye inquired about why Palestinian children are not being allowed to receive treatment in the UK, they received no satisfactory response. One Home Office official mentioned that those seeking medical treatment can apply for temporary visas.

The report also noted that while the unavailability of biometrics in Gaza might be an impediment, several countries, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Italy, France, Malta, and the United States, have accepted patients from Gaza for treatment.

“The double standards are very clear for anyone to see. I’m sad to see my own NHS (National Health Service), which is helping patients day in and day out, is unable to do this, not because of [a lack of] willpower from medics, but at a political level,” said Dr Abdel-Mannan at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Patients in the Gaza Strip must acquire a referral report from a doctor verifying that the treatment is not available in the enclave. The report is then sent to Israel and Egypt for approval.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that at least 12,761 patients in Gaza had requested medical evacuations to Israel and Egypt by May 18. 

However, a mere 46% of these requests were approved, and only 4,895 patients were able to receive the medical care they needed.