Assistenza sanitaria in Yemen

More than seven years after the beginning of the conflict, Yemen is still in the middle of one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the world. The war has seriously worsened the health conditions of the Yemeni population, imposing a serious strain on the community’s reaction capacity. To respond to this emergency, the project foresees the following:

• Purchasing and distributing medicines at national level.

• Supporting basic healthcare: offering services through mobile clinics; support to healthcare facilities; outpatient treatment for common ailments; reproductive health; maternal, new-born and child health; assistance before, during and after childbirth; malnutrition treatment and prevention.

• Supporting emergency secondary assistance: supporting the management of ambulances and the intervention of district hospitals in managing trauma, surgery, medical emergencies and emergency obstetric and neonatal care.

• Awareness-raising and informing about access to vaccines, reaching 7,200 people without age or gender-based discrimination, focusing community leaders who can in turn help further spread the information.

• Supporting direct administration of COVID-19 vaccines to 4,200 people in the course of three months.

The lack of medicines to treat non-communicable diseases the lack of medical equipment for injuries, widespread malnutrition, interruptions in freshwater and sanitation services, displacement, inadequate maternal and child healthcare services and the lack of qualified medical personnel have seriously worsened the health conditions of the Yemeni population, imposing a serious strain on the humanitarian community’s reaction capacity.

According to World Health Organization estimates, 50% of deaths in Yemen are caused by non-communicable diseases, 30% by communicable diseases and maternity, perinatal and nutritional conditions, 20% to injuries and lesions. Only 50% of healthcare facilities is fully functioning in the whole country, while the other half is only partially functioning, or not at all. The already fragile Yemeni healthcare system is further challenged by COVID-19. The vaccine access campaign — both in general and in particular against COVID-19 — officially started on April 20, 2021 and was limited to the governorates in the South of the country, i.e. in the areas controlled by the internationally recognized government. As of today, vaccinated people account for 3% of the population.

The project intends to contribute to responding to this tragic humanitarian emergency, operating in close collaboration with national and local authorities and with the managers of the healthcare facilities it will support.