The Yemeni government issued an official warning of an impending health crisis on Sunday, August 4, 2024, as a threat to close key medical facilities across the country follows a severe reduction in international funding.
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak convened a high-level government meeting in the southern port city of Aden on Sunday August 4 to address the crisis. At the meeting, he called for the formation of a governmental committee to develop a strategic plan to assess the needs of the health sector and identify the necessary international interventions. He also urged international and regional partners to renew their “vital and ongoing support” for health services in order to avert a potential humanitarian catastrophe.
According to theWorld Health Organization (WHO), children are particularly at risk, with high rates of malnutrition and increased susceptibility to diseases such as polio, measles, whooping cough and diphtheria. According to the WHO press release, nearly 2.4 million children under the age of five – half of all Yemeni children in this age group – suffer from moderate to severe stunting.
According to the WHO, 46% of health facilities in Yemen are only partially or completely out of service, due to shortages of staff, funds, electricity, medicines and equipment.
