SANAA, Dec. 14 (Saba) - Nearly five years have passed since the unjust aggression and blockade imposed on Yemen by the US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition, which caused the collapse of the health system in light of the slow response of international organizations.
The aggression has destroyed the infrastructure of the health sector, leading to the spread of diseases and epidemics and depriving millions of citizens of basic health care. Not only did the countries of the coalition of aggression bomb and destroy, but they imposed a blockade on the entry of medical supplies and life-saving medicines, especially for those with chronic diseases, and prevented patients from traveling for treatment abroad.
A report issued by the Ministry of Public Health and Population confirmed that the indicators of the collapse of the health system in Yemen were the direct destruction of the fighter jets of aggression to health facilities, where the number of facilities completely and partially destroyed to more than 600 facilities.
It pointed out that the losses of the health sector reached ten billion dollars, pointing out the end of the life span of 93 percent of medical devices and equipment and could not be maintained and may stop at any moment, as a result of the blockade and not allowing the import of modern from them.
The collapse of the health sector is also reflected in the lack of salaries of more than 48,000 employees in the sector at the central and local level, as well as the interruption of many doctors and staff due to displacement and economic conditions, as well as the failure of facilities.
According to the report, there are 8,000 patients with kidney failure and thousands of cancer patients, diabetes, heart and other diseases, in addition to 40 thousand patients with cancerous tumors threatened with death as a result of the lack of introduction of radiation device for the treatment of tumors, pointing out that 50% of oncology patients died as a result of the lack of availability Medicines because of the siege.
The report stated that there is no cardiac catheterization device in Yemen, especially after the failure of the only organ at Al-Thawra General Hospital, the absence of heart supports for more than 30,000 patients and the absence of valves for more than 30,000 patients.
The report confirmed the killing and injuring of more than 40,000 civilians, including 7,200 children and more than 800 disabled children as a result of the direct bombing of the aggression warplane.
The report noted that 1,000 children in Yemen die every day as a result of aggression, blockades and lack of equipment and medicines. According to international organizations, 150,000 children die in Yemen each year.
The aggression also destroyed environmental-related projects such as water and sanitation, leading to widespread malnutrition and epidemics leading to cholera and diphtheria, and currently dengue and malaria, in contrast, the decline in support from international organizations for the health sector.
The report showed that the number of cholera cases about 2,200,000 people died, of whom about 3,750 died, 32 percent of whom were children, while 34,520 cases of measles died, of which 273 were children.
According to the report, 4,500 people were infected with diphtheria, of which 253 died, about 16 percent of whom were children under the age of five. Of the 5.4 million children under the age of five, 55 per cent are malnourished, of whom 400,000 are severely malnourished.
The report showed that 86 percent of children under the age of five suffer from anemia, 46 percent of children suffer from stunting, and 80,000 children suffer from mental disorders due to the sounds of airplanes and rocket explosions.
The report pointed out that six newborns die every two hours due to the deterioration of health care services, and 65 children under the age of five out of a thousand children die from some kind of disease, pointing out that 320 thousand patients were unable to receive treatment abroad due to the closure of Sana'a International Airport, of which about 42 thousand patients died and the proportion of 30 percent of them are children.
With regard to the blockade on the pharmaceutical sector, the report noted that the aggression and the blockade caused the lack of 12 types of drugs for chronic diseases, especially cancer, in addition to the targeting of the countries of the aggression coalition to a pharmaceutical factory and the destruction of two oxygen production factories and the low rate of import of medicines.
The aggression and blockade also caused the transfer of more than 362 types of medicines to falter, the prohibition of certain medical materials for the pharmaceutical industry and the denial of entry, obstruction of the arrival of shipments of medicines and medical supplies that were granted import approval documents, as well as the imposition of arbitrary procedures for the entry of ships loaded with drugs, causing damage.
According to the report, the activity of hundreds of investors has stopped and drug prices have been disrupted by the exchange rate, more than 50 percent of pharmacists have lost their jobs and investment activity has stopped, especially in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing.
In the face of these huge and horrifying figures, The Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Taha al-Mutawakel, renewed his call for an end to the aggression, the lifting of the blockade, the opening of Sana'a International Airport and the allowing patients to travel for treatment abroad.
He called on the United Nations to speed up the operation of an air bridge to rescue patients and those with life-threatening tumors and diseases for treatment abroad.
To date, the United Nations had not sent any aircraft to rescue patients in need of treatment abroad, particularly children, he confirmed.
The Minister said that the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) had refrained from conducting humanitarian medical flights abroad from Sana'a airport.
He denounced the UN's manipulation of the pain of Yemenis, blaming (WHO) for such irresponsible actions.
He reiterated that the continued closure of Sana'a airport was a crime against humanity and a clear violation of international and humanitarian laws and conventions.
The Minister of Health called on the United Nations and international organizations not to turn a blind eye to this catastrophic tragedy, which has claimed thousands of lives and continues to claim thousands more, calling for serious action to lift the ban on Sana'a International Airport.
With regard to the support provided by health organizations operating in Yemen for the health sector for 2019, al Mutawakel said at a press conference that international organizations have implemented only 19 percent of the health response plan and a deficit of more than 81 percent.
He pointed out that the response from international organizations on the infrastructure side was only 9 per cent, on the equipment and equipment side only 4 per cent, in medicines the response rate 22 percent, operational expenses 14 per cent, training 20 per cent and referral 9 per cent.
The Minister of Health confirmed that the organizations are working in violation of the laws and conventions and said "we have addressed organizations, especially UNICEF, to reject these measures." He pointed out that many of the in-kind assistance provided by the organizations ended up, such as medicines, including those returned from Sana'a airport, especially insulin.
"There are very poor medical supplies that are not functioning properly and we have sent a memorandum to The Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Lise Grande that the devices should be usable in the medical field and from reliable sources and have maintenance guarantees, but this has not received any response from them," he said.
Dr. Al Mutawakel said that the aggression coalition refused to introduce a radiation device for oncological patients, which means threatening the lives of 40,000 patients with cancerous tumors.
The Minister of Health pointed out that there is no diagnostic magnetic resonance device in government facilities and was not allowed to enter the country, where the organizations consider that this device contains helium gas and it enters the military industries, explaining that a memorandum was sent to the World Health Organization to introduce ring devices not used This gas, however, has not received any response so far and patients are constantly dying.
He said that some international organizations have responded to some needs with regard to kidney failure patients, including the World Health Organization, "but to date WHO has not provided the agreed second phase, where only 48 devices were provided for 103 washing machines, and 200,000 washing sessions were not provided."
The Minister of Health expressed the hope that session solutions and dialysis devices would continue to be provided. He said the organizations were asked to introduce dialysis medications, especially heparin, but it was not introduced.
The reality remains a testament to the magnitude of the disaster reached by the health sector, which is the most important for human survival, and those who survived the raids of aggression will die because of epidemics and diseases or because of the search for medical care and medicine.
The reality remains a testament to the magnitude of the disaster that has reached the health sector, the most important for human survival, who survived the raids of aggression will die because of epidemics and diseases or because of the search for medical care and medicine.
Eman.M
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