Yemen’s Health Sector Falling Apart, World Remains Silent

The Ministry of Public Health and Population confirmed that 92 to 95% of the devices in hospitals and health centers have exceeded their life expectancy or have broken down, according to the survey conducted by the ministry for hospitals, health centers and units in Yemen at the end of 2018.

The ministry said in a statement, obtained by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), that based on the results of the survey, a plan has been prepared for the requirement of equipment, medical equipment and basic life-saving medicines so that the health sector could provide the minimum health services.

The statement pointed out that a copy of these needs was submitted to the World Health Organization and the rest of the international organizations working in Yemen such as UNICEF, UNFPA, the Red Cross and others after several meetings that included an explanation of the results of the survey and basic needs, but there was no actual response from those organizations despite the many promises that came from them to the ministry.

The statement said that the crime committed by the Saudi-led coalition last Thursday in a residential neighborhood in the capital Sana’a, which killed and injured about 77 civilians and a journalist, many of them are children and women. In addition, the previous crimes in the capital or other provinces have contributed to the catastrophic health situation in Yemen, especially regarding the aspect of medical equipment and lack of essential and lifesaving medicines as many victims lose their lives due to the large shortage of equipment, supplies and medicines in government hospitals.

The statement pointed to the repercussions of the catastrophic health situation in Yemen as a result of the cadres giving up their jobs from government hospitals due to the delay in paying incentives to employees and not covering all employees with monthly incentives after the Saudi-led coalition transferred the central bank to Aden province.

The victims usually develop partial or complete disabilities as a result of delayed response from international organizations, not to forget the thousands of injured victims who suffer from chronic diseases that have fallen and are falling every day due to the deterioration of the health situation.

The ministry called on the international community, the United Nations and its international organizations and all the international organizations to fulfill their commitments in responding rapidly to the emergency and humanitarian situation and to provide the basic and necessary needs previously provided by the ministry in terms of medical equipment, basic and life-saving medicines, health workers’ incentives, laboratory solutions and rehabilitation of the health sector.

In its statement, the Ministry of Health called on the international community and international organizations working in Yemen to take legal and moral responsibility for any disregard or delay of the ministry’s legitimate humanitarian demands.