US-Imposed Siege on Sana’a Airport Exacerbates Patients’ Suffering

The Minister of Public Health and Population, Taha Al-Mutawakel, said that the death of a sick woman at Sana’a International Airport is a result of the siege imposed on Yemen.

He pointed out that three flights per week do not meet the needs of a country like Yemen, and there is a real tragedy for patients who need to travel for medical treatment.

“Sana’a airport is still under siege, so we cannot bring in radiological devices, import medicines directly, or bring in medical personnel,” he said.

The Minister of Health noted that the arrival of medical delegations is the best way to save thousands of patients, because less than 10% of patients are able to travel in light of the siege.

Recently, officials at the Ministry of Public Health and Population confirmed that the restriction of Sanaa International Airport to one destination (Jordan) and the limited flights exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and the suffering of patients.

The head of the Supreme Medical Committee, Dr. Mutahar Al-Darwish, confirmed to Almasirah that only 10% of the patients who cannot be treated in Yemen are able to travel in light of the US-imposed siege on Sana’a airport.

He explained that the cost of treatment abroad ranges between 30 and one hundred thousand dollars, and these amounts cannot be afforded by patients, pointing out that the aggression coalition prevents the entry of medical personnel into Yemen to provide assistance and save thousands of patients who are unable to travel.

He noted that 60,000 patients who cannot be treated in Yemen are registered in the Supreme Medical Committee and the same number in medical centers, and the number is increasing with the continuation of the blockade.

Dr. Al-Darwish said that opening multiple destinations for patients through Sana’a airport would reduce travel costs and increase the number of those who are able to travel for treatment abroad.

For his part, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Health for the Population Sector, Najib Al-Qabati, confirmed that the needs of the patients as a result of 9-year US-imposed blockade are not addressed by a single destination, and specific and restricted flights from Sana’a Airport.

He pointed out that 30% of patients in Yemen need to travel for treatment abroad amid the bad health sector’s situation and the lack of all capabilities.

“A single destination for travel from Sana’a airport means the continued exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis and the suffering of the patients inside,” he added.

Al-Qubati pointed out that there is an urgent need to open Sana’a airport to direct air freight traffic to provide medicines, supplies and sensitive medical equipment.

The US-Saudi aggression imposes a suffocating blockade on Yemen and closes ports and airports to increase the suffering of the Yemeni People and create deteriorating living and economic conditions. It is trying to barter the humanitarian aspect to obtain political and military gains at the expense of the Yemeni People.

The blockade has caused tremendous suffering for millions of Yemenis who are largely dependent on imports of food, fuel and medicines. It is one of the main reasons for the large-scale humanitarian crisis in the country that has pushed millions of Yemenis toward starvation and death due to lack of medical supplies, prompting the UN to call it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.