Yemen: Saudi-Aggression Blocking Desperately Needed Fuel

The suffering of the people of Yemen has doubled as a result of the detention of oil tankers, despite them obtaining permits from the United Nations. Therefore, various sectors Yemenis depend on for livelihood have been seriously affected, including the health sector.

At a time when concerted efforts are being made to confront the Coronavirus that has swept the countries of the world, and caused vast losses on lives and property, the Saudi coalition of aggression is tightening its blockade and preventing the entry of oil vessels in light of the growing need for fuel to the health sector in Yemen, as well as medicines and medical supplies to confront the epidemic, which warns of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Minister of Health Warns

The Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Taha al-Mutawakkil, warned against the continuation of the Saudi-led aggression in preventing the entry of oil derivatives tankers because of the catastrophic effects on the health sector, holding the United Nations and the Secretary-General fully responsible for the continued prevention of the entry of oil derivatives.

“The Secretary-General of the United Nations talks about the worst humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, while the aggression coalition continues to detain oil derivatives, thus exposing the health sector to a new crisis,” Minister of Health said.

A Real Disaster

“We are facing a real catastrophe if the public and private medical facilities are stopped because of the intransigence of the aggression countries and preventing them from entering the oil derivatives,” Dr. Al-Mutawakkil added.

The minister stressed that the health facilities are experiencing a real catastrophe, in case the United Nations continues to tolerate and does not pressure the aggression coalition to allow the entry of oil ships.

Moreover, Dr.Al-Mutawakkil pointed out that the private sector provides health services to more than 60 percent of the population, especially in light of the circumstances that Yemen is going through as a result of the continued aggression and siege.

Catastrophic Repercussions

The head of the Al-Thwra General Hospital in Hodeidah, Dr. Khaled Suhail, pointed out that preventing the entry of oil derivatives into the country has catastrophic consequences on the health sector.

“The health sector will be directly affected if the electricity is cut off, and dozens of patients will die in hospitals and health facilities,” Dr.Suhail said, noting that more than %70 of patients within the intensive care unit in the hospital use mechanical ventilators and incubators, and if electricity is cut off, they will face death.

Complete Paralysis

Dr. Suhail pointed out that hospitals and health facilities will not be able to receive any patient and will not operate trauma devices, vital signs monitoring devices, x-rays, hemodialysis machines, magnetic resonance and laboratories in the event of electricity stoppage, and the health sector will be completely paralyzed.

Moreover, he stressed that the power outage caused by preventing the entry of oil derivatives will lead to an increase in patient deaths.

“We have an Oxygen filling station in the hospital, generating oxygen for 70-80 oxygen cylinders a day and power outage will subject patients to death,” Dr.Suhail explained.

The Chairman of Al-Thawra Hospital in Al-Hodeidah appealed to the international community, the United Nations and international organizations to properly do their jobs in supporting Yemen’s efforts in facing Corona, and to press on the coalition countries to stop their aggression and lift the siege imposed on Yemen.

“The international community should play its humanitarian role and stand by the Yemenis, who have been under aggression and blockade for more than five years, and recently the prevention of the entry of petroleum derivatives and the medicines needed by the operating and emergency rooms in hospitals,” he added.

Additionally, Dr.Suhail stressed that the absence of oil derivatives from hospital generators will cause a humanitarian catastrophe.

Sentenced to Death

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Yusef Al-Hadri, explained that 903 private medical facilities are at risk of a health disaster if the aggression coalition continues to prevent oil derivative ships from entering the port of Hodeidah.

Dr.Al-Hadri pointed out that the number of health facilities affected by the lack of oil derivatives in the private sector is: 183 hospitals, 165 clinics and 555 medical centers.

Moreover, he considered the prevention by the Saudi-led aggression of the entering of the oil tankers as “a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of patients, children, women and men.”

It was indicated by Dr. Al-Hadri that the health sector relies directly on oil derivatives, and its absence means that health facilities will stop providing medical and treatment services to patients.

Criminal act

For his part, the director of the Kuwait University Hospital in Sana’a, Dr. Amin al-Junaid, considered the Saudi aggression prevention of entering oil derivatives, a criminal act that will turn hospitals into cemeteries due to the suspension of their services, and that it will have negative effects on the health sector and increase the suffering of patients, especially children in incubators and patients in intensive care units.

He emphasized that the detention of oil ships is a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which criminalizes such practices that amount to war crimes against humanity.

Threatened to Stop

The director of Jiblah University Hospital in the Ibb governorate, Dr. Abdullah Al-Matari stressed that preventing the entry of oil derivatives will have repercussions on the performance of the health sector and will lead to a major health disaster.

He explained that many of the devices and equipment in the dialysis centers, heart, operating rooms, baby incubators and the isolation centers to face the Covid-19 are threatened to stop operating, in case the electricity was cut off due to the lack of oil derivatives.

Dr. Al-Matari called on the World Health Organization to intervene and prevent a new humanitarian and health catastrophe, and more outbreaks of epidemics and the spread of the coronavirus in Yemen.

Willful Killing

The Deputy Chairman of Al-Thawra Hospital for Technical Affairs in Ibb, Dr. Mohamed Amer, said that the preventing oil derivatives entry to Yemen is a deliberate murder, stressing that the countries of aggression would cause a humanitarian catastrophe for thousands of patients, especially patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Dr. Amer appealed to the United Nations to be aware of its responsibilities and work to stop the piracy and terrorism practiced by the countries of the aggression, led by the Saudi kingdom, by preventing the entry of oil tankers into Yemen.