Yemeni Health Minister Warns of 1,000 Health Center Closures Due to Declining International Funding

Yemen Monitor/ Newsroom

Yemeni Minister of Public Health and Population, Qassim Buhibh, has warned that a decline in funding could lead to the closure of nearly 1,000 health centers, resulting in a lack of immunization, nutrition, and maternal healthcare services.

The Yemeni minister explained in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that the decline in international funding has negatively impacted the health and nutritional situation, putting the lives of many children and women at risk.

He added that “half of Yemeni children under the age of 5 are currently suffering from chronic malnutrition, making them more susceptible to diseases that cause disability or death for many of them, in addition to pregnant women, with the absence of healthcare. We expect that – with the current decline in support – there will be 500,000 pregnant women without care, thus increasing complications and deaths.”

He pointed out that “the economic situation in Yemen is going through a difficult phase due to the halt of government revenues and the continued Houthi coup against state institutions, which has accelerated the deterioration of the currency and the economic situation. In addition to the decline in foreign humanitarian funding, which had contributed significantly to the stabilization of the health situation, albeit relatively, in the previous period and compensated for the lack of and cessation of government funding in some health programs.”

Regarding the statistics of the spread of the cholera epidemic, the Minister of Health explained that in the liberated areas under the control of the legitimate government, cases of infection with any diseases, including cholera, are announced, with the number of cases reaching 28,527 and about 31 deaths, from October 2023 to July.

Minister Buhibh warned of the spread of multiple diseases and the exposure of the health sector to further shocks as a result of the significant damage caused by floods, which usually lead to an increase in epidemic cases such as cholera, malaria, and dengue, and this requires an urgent government and humanitarian response.

The health sector in Yemen is facing one of its most difficult periods due to the sharp decline in funding for medical facilities in a country that has been suffering from the consequences of a continuous war for nearly 10 years.

This comes amid a severe financial crisis facing the Yemeni government as a result of the halt in oil exports for nearly two years, and the continued heavy human and material losses caused by the floods that hit several governorates in recent days, which could exacerbate the difficult health situation.