Children in Beirut lost access to their cancer treatment after their hospital was destroyed in the explosion
Dozens of children battling cancer in Beirut have lost access to their treatment after hospitals were destroyed in the explosion last week, The New York Times reported.
Doctors are worried they could die without access to treatment or be susceptible to catching and dying from the coronavirus.
The explosion killed more than 135 people and wounded over 5,000 people in the city.
Remaining hospitals are at capacity treating those injured in the blast.
Dozens of children Beirut lost access to cancer treatment following the Beirut explosion, The New York Times reported.
"It's hard to know that we have a deadly but treatable disease, and we cannot do anything for these kids because everything is destroyed," Peter Noun, the head of St. George's pediatric hematology and oncology department told The Times.
The explosion which killed more than 150 people and wounded over 5,000 people also destroyed four hospitals including St. George Hospital, one of the city's biggest hospitals.
St. George Hospital was one of two hospitals that were so badly damaged that they had to shut down and send patients elsewhere during the explosion.
Four nurses and at least 13 patients at the hospital were killed, The New York Times previously reported.
The children's circumstances are further complicated by the fact that most hospitals are over capacity treating the thousands of people injured during the blast. They are further put at risk of catching the novel coronavirus, which could be fatal.
While most of Noun's critical patients were able to be placed in hospitals outside Beirut, he still worries that many won't make it if field hospitals aren't ready soon enough.
Gobran Pierre Tawk moved back to Lebanon from Australia, three years ago so his daughter Amanda could be born there. She was diagnosed with cancer in December and as the country continues to spiral into an economic collapse, Tawk said he plans to leave the country with his daughter again, The Times reported.
"I believe in Lebanon, but I am also a father. My priority is to make sure Amanda is safe and happy. You have someone who is dying from cancer, and it's her right to get treatment," Tawk said.
He added: "I love my country. But I should not have to worry about whether my children live or die here."
Marita Reaidy, a 7-year-old patient who'd been diagnosed with cancer twice told The Times that she made St.Georges a home while receiving treatment.
"My home is now destroyed," she said. "This was my hospital. It's gone. I don't want to see my hospital die like this."
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