SANAA, June 10 (Saba) - As if the collapse of the health sector system in Yemen and the spread of Corona virus (COVID-19) that Saudi-led aggression coalition has caused was not enough, where it continues its crimes by holding fuel ships to undermine efforts to confront the epidemic.
The suffering of the Yemeni people is compounded due to the detention of ships loaded with fuel despite obtaining permits from the United Nations, which casts a shadow over the various sectors related to the daily lives and livelihoods of citizens, including the health sector.
At a time when concerted efforts are being made to confront the Corona virus that has swept the countries of the world and caused losses to lives and property, the aggression coalition is tightening its blockade and preventing the entry of oil ships in light of the growing need for fuel in the health sector in Yemen, as well as medicines and medical supplies to confront the epidemic, which forebodes a humanitarian catastrophe.
Health Minister Warns
The Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Taha Al-Mutawakkil, has warned against the continuation of the aggression coalition in preventing the entry of fuel ships because of the catastrophic effects on the health sector. He held the United Nations and its Secretary-General fully responsible for the results of the continued prevention of oil derivatives access.
"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," Dr. Al-Mutawakkil 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 that prevent the entry of the oil derivatives," the health minister said. “The health facilities are experiencing a real catastrophe, if the United Nations continues to tolerate and not pressure the aggression coalition for allowing the entry of oil ships.”
He 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
For his part, Head of the Board of the Public Al-Thawra Hospital in Hodeidah, Dr. Khaled Suhail, indicated that preventing the entry of oil derivatives into the country has catastrophic effects on the health sector.
"The health sector will be directly affected if the electricity is cut off, as dozens of patients will die in hospitals and health facilities," he said, noting that there are more than 70 patients in the intensive care section in the hospital use breathing apparatus and incubators, and if electricity is cut off, they will experience certain death.
Complete Paralysis
Dr. Suhail pointed out that hospitals and health facilities will not receive any patient, and many medical appliances and necessary devices and laboratories will not operate in the event of electricity interruption, and the health sector will be completely paralyzed.
He stressed that the power cut due to preventing the entry of oil derivatives will lead to an increase in patient deaths, adding "We have the hospital's oxygen plant that produces between seventy to eighty cylinders a day and the power outages will put patients to death."
Head of the Al-Thawra Hospital Board in Hodeidah appealed to the international community, the United Nations and international organizations to play their role in supporting Yemen's efforts to combat Corona and to press the coalition countries to stop the aggression and lift the siege.
"The international community must play its humanitarian role and stand by the Yemenis, who have been under attack and blockade for more than five years, in addition to their suffering due to preventing the entry of petroleum products and the medicines needed by operating and emergency rooms in hospitals," Dr. Suhail said.
He stressed that the interruption of oil derivatives supply for generators in hospitals will cause a humanitarian catastrophe.
Sentenced to Death
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Yusef al-Hadhri, said that “903 private medical facilities are at risk of a health disaster if the aggression coalition continues to prevent oil derivative vessels from entering the port of Hodeidah.”
The number of health facilities belonging to the private sector, affected by the lack of oil derivatives, amounts to 183 hospitals, 165 clinics and 555 medical centers, Dr. al-Hadhri added. He considered the prevention of entering the oil ships as “a death sentence" for hundreds of thousands of patients, children, women and men.
Dr. al-Hadhri indicated that the health sector relies directly on the oil derivatives, and their absence means that health facilities will stop providing medical and treatment services to patients.
Criminal Act
For his part, Director of Kuwait Hospital in the capital Sanaa, Dr. Amin al-Junaid, considered the aggression coalition’s prevention of entering oil derivatives a criminal act that will turn hospitals into cemeteries due to the cessation 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.
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
Director of Jiblah Hospital in Ibb governorate, Dr. Abdullah al-Matari, stressed that preventing the entry of petroleum products will have repercussions on the performance of the health sector and will lead to a major health catastrophe.
Many of the devices and equipment in the dialysis and heart centers, operations rooms, the baby incubators and isolation centers to face the COVID-19 are threatened with stopping in case the electricity was cut off due to the lack of oil derivatives, he explained.
Dr. al-Matari called on the World Health Organization to intervene to prevent a new humanitarian and health catastrophe and the outbreak of more epidemics in Yemen.
Willful Killing
Dr. Mohammad Amer, Deputy Chairman of Al-Thawra Hospital for Technical Affairs in Ibb, considered preventing the entry of oil derivatives as “premeditated murder”, stressing that the aggression countries would cause a humanitarian catastrophe for thousands of patients, especially those with heart and kidney failure diseases.
He called on the United Nations to assume its responsibilities and work to stop piracy and terrorism practiced by the aggression coalition countries through preventing the entry of petroleum products.
Translated by B.A.
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