Quality of health care in Yemen: a matter of life and death
13 November 2022 – Over the past five years, WHO and the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) have worked together with the World Bank’s International Development Association to prevent the collapse of Yemen’s health system.
More than 70 hospitals have received needed commodities to keep serving communities even during times of intense conflict. Key support provided includes fuel, oxygen, water, medicines, consumables, equipment and training. Now, under the Emergency Human Capital Project (EHCP), key action areas include sustaining support to hospitals and zeroing-in to improve the quality of care that patients receive.
All too often, quality is a matter of life-or-death for patients. Globally, unsafe care is among the 10 leading causes of death and disability. Medical errors related to diagnosis, prescriptions, use of medicines, and unsatisfactory cleaning and hygiene practices are some of the major causes of patient harm.
Health workers still fighting COVID-19 in an exhausted health system
8 November 2022 – In Yemen, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a catastrophic health crisis – compounding one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, and further straining a long-exhausted health care system that is simultaneously struggling to prepare for and respond to a continuous chain of other disease outbreaks.
Although the current number of reported COVID-19 cases in Yemen is 11,926, with 2,155 confirmed deaths to date, the actual numbers are underreported and undoubtedly far higher. A prevailing lack of community awareness about COVID-19 and the necessity and safety of vaccines has strongly contributed to the spread of the virus and its toll on people’s lives.
In partnership with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany, WHO has focused on procuring and distributing new COVID-19 vaccines and supplies, and scaling up the capacities of Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) to test, diagnose and vaccinate for COVID-19. This partnership is further enabling the MoPHP to better manage COVID-19 caseloads, and undertake health promotion activities in governments and districts controlled by the Internally Recognized Government (IRG). About 1,000 COVID-19 patients in hospital isolation units have also been aided with life-saving medical oxygen supplies.
Strengthening pre-hospital trauma and emergency care services in Aden, Yemen
7 November 2022 – Against the backdrop of Yemen’s long-running civil conflict and deepening humanitarian crisis, WHO is working with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and EU Humanitarian Aid to sustain and strengthen the country’s only life-saving pre-hospital trauma and emergency care services in the metropolitan area of Aden governorate.
For the fifth consecutive year, Yemen is recording the highest country caseload of conflict-related trauma in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. Injuries account for 60% of deaths among children ages 5–14, as well as 36% of deaths among persons from 15 to 64 years of age, yet the country has no formalized pre-hospital services, apart from those supported by EU Humanitarian Aid and provided by WHO in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health and Population in Aden governorate.
WHO, with EU Humanitarian Aid's support, is working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and Population to sustain and strengthen the life-saving pre-hospital referral system through provision of 11 ambulances, 33 trained paramedics and drivers, 14 operating staff and a dedicated 24/7 dispatch centre for the 195 emergency telephone number. The partnership is also keeping services running by providing operational support for fuel, medical equipment and capacity-building to improve the quality of health care.
Saving lives with dialysis in Yemen
25 October 2022 – Thousands of Yemenis with kidney disease require dialysis treatments to keep them alive and well. WHO in partnership with KSrelief continues provisioning health facilities with dialysis equipment, supplies and financial support needed to sustain dialysis for about 3,500 patients across the country.