4 September 2022 – The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a 12-month project to sustain the delivery of life-saving emergency health services for the most vulnerable in conflict-affected zones across Yemen thanks to a €2.5 million contribution from the European Union.
The partnership aims to directly assist more than 152,000 Yemenis, including 33,000 children and 30,500 internally displaced people. Seventeen hospitals across Yemen will receive support in four main areas of humanitarian health service delivery: trauma care and emergency care referral services; mental health and psychosocial support; strengthening of the national health information management system; and early response to outbreaks.
“The health care system in Yemen is devastated and on the brink of collapse, while the health needs of the most vulnerable people have increased by 11% overall since 2021,” said Dr Adham Rashad Ismail Abdel-Moneim, WHO Representative to Yemen. “Through this project, and in partnership with EU Humanitarian Aid, we can better address many of the acute and urgent health needs of the most vulnerable people with a comprehensive range of essential health care services.”
The project will also address trauma care and emergency care referral services, ensuring continued provision of ambulance services, fuel, medical equipment and other supplies as well as training at Yemen’s only pre-hospital system facility, based in Aden city.
“Currently, more than 21.9 million Yemenis lack access to critical health services. Seven years of conflict have not only left the health sector in tatters but have severely depleted people’s resilience. Indiscriminate attacks, food insecurity and disease outbreaks are having a devastating impact on their well-being,” said Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management. “One of the EU’s humanitarian priorities in Yemen is to alleviate people’s suffering, both physically and mentally, and ensure they can access quality health care.”
The hospitals supported by this project will benefit from plans to establish mental health units that provide mental health and psychosocial support services and psychotropic medications. Medical and non-medical staff will also be trained to assess and manage mental health disorders of vulnerable groups, including women, children, internally displaced, refugees, migrants and people with disabilities.
Yemen’s fragmented health information system will also receive support to improve information sharing between health partners to ensure informed decision-making and strengthen operational processes in health emergency response. This includes building national capacities to improve and operate the District Health Information Software (DHIS2) data collection system that is hampered by frequent electrical outages and weak internet connectivity.