WHO decides mpox epidemic still global health emergency

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis is doing some work in hospital while undergoing various treatments for double pneumonia, a Vatican official said on Thursday.
The 88-year-old pontiff was spending his 14th day in Rome’s Gemelli hospital with the severe respiratory infection, which triggered various complications.
The Vatican said he had spent a restful night, after saying on Wednesday evening that there had been a “further, slight improvement” in his condition.
It said a “mild kidney insufficiency” had been resolved but that his prognosis was still “guarded,” meaning he was not out of danger.
Francis, known to work himself to exhaustion, has continued leading the Vatican from hospital, as staff appointments requiring his approval are announced daily.
On Wednesday, it said he had created a commission to encourage donations to help address
a widening gap in finances
, including an 83-million-euro ($87 million) budget shortfall.
The Vatican has been much more forthcoming about the pope’s health than in the past, trying to
pre-empt the spread of misinformation. Brief early-morning statements are followed daily by more detailed evening updates.
A Vatican official, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorized to discuss the pope’s condition, said Francis was alert, continuing his treatments, and able to eat normally and move about his room.
The official said it was unclear how long Francis would remain in hospital. He was still receiving supplementary oxygen from a small tube under his nose, but was breathing on his own.
The Vatican said a public audience on Saturday had been canceled, but did not say whether he would lead his usual weekly prayer with pilgrims on Sunday. Francis has not been seen in public since being admitted to hospital.
On Wednesday, the Vatican said for the first time that he was receiving respiratory physiotherapy, normally aimed at improving lung function, clearing secretions and making breathing more efficient.
Francis has suffered several bouts of ill health over the past two years. He is prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
Double pneumonia is a serious infection of both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe. The Vatican said Francis suffered a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” on Saturday, but there have been no repeats.
Hundreds of people have assembled in St. Peter’s Square over the past three evenings for prayer vigils, while well-wishers have also gathered outside the hospital.
“At this moment, I think I feel confident. I am happy with the news that I’m getting from Vatican News, that he is getting better,” said one of those, Sister Theodosia Baki from Cameroon.

JAKARTA: The Indonesia Hospital in northern Gaza has resumed inpatient services, the Jakarta-based NGO that funded it said on Thursday, as the facility races to resume full operations after repairs to the building and equipment that were destroyed by Israeli forces.

The health facility in Beit Lahiya, funded by the Indonesian NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, was one of the first sites hit when Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023.

As relentless Israeli attacks pushed the enclave’s healthcare system to the brink of collapse, the Indonesia Hospital stood as one of the last functioning health facilities in the north.

Since the ceasefire began on Jan. 19, the hospital has been gradually resuming essential services, with inpatient treatment being the latest. 

“The Indonesia Hospital is resuming its operations to handle sick patients,” Sarbini Abdul Murad, chairman of MER-C’s board of trustees in Jakarta, told Arab News. 

“We hope to renovate and rebuild every part of the facility that was destroyed, as well as fully supply the hospital to meet all of the patients’ needs.”

Israeli forces targeted and heavily damaged most of the medical facilities in the Gaza Strip. 

The Indonesia Hospital was treating about 1,000 people at one point during Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,300 people and injured over 111,000.

Since last month, it has resumed services for emergencies, surgeries, radiology, laboratory, outpatient and inpatient treatments, and is now operating at 30 percent of full capacity

“Six months from the beginning of the ceasefire, we are aiming to reactivate essential services to reach at least 50 percent of full capacity,” Dr. Hadiki Habib, chairman of MER-C’s executive committee, told Arab News. 

The Indonesia Hospital will be the main referral hospital in northern Gaza and some parts of Gaza City, after the former main referral hospital, Al-Shifa, was destroyed by Israeli siege and attacks. 

“There is a great need for essential services,” Habib said. “Over a year of displacement and limited access (to healthcare), many Palestinians with chronic illnesses need quality treatments.”