10 October 2022 (Yemen) –The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), has successfully concluded the first 2-year phase of the Essential Health Services (EHS) Project, a joint endeavour that has sustained and strengthened Yemen’s fragile health system, in collaboration with local authorities and health partners.
Since December 2020, the EHS Project has ensured access to essential health services for over 1.26 million Yemenis in 228 health facilities countrywide. Life-saving support to these facilities has included fuel, safe water, medicines, medical oxygen and equipment, laboratory supplies, capacity-building, four computed tomography (CT) scans, and two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices for ensuring continuum and quality of care.
“Since the start of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, the health workforce has faced monumental challenges in providing essential health care,” said Dr Adham Dr Adham Rashad Ismail Abdel-Moneim, WHO Representative to Yemen. “These challenges persist today, with millions of Yemenis facing unrelenting risks to their health and survival.”
The EHS Project has also allowed WHO, working closely with local authorities and its health partners, to implement the Minimum Service Package (MSP) in multiple health facilities across the country, as part of the strategic response to health needs identified in the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) 2020.
“Thanks to the EHS Project and committed partners like KSrelief, WHO has been able to ensure that health care remains accessible to millions of Yemenis,” said Dr Moneim-Rashad. “WHO also owes deepest thanks to the unsung heroes of health in Yemen — doctors, nurses and other health workers who are risking their lives to serve on the frontlines. They are the backbone of Yemen’s health system.”
Implementation of the next phase of the EHS Project is now under way, as a joint initiative of KSrelief and WHO to build on advances made during the past 2 years.
The Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2022 (YHRP) is currently 45.1% funded, while the health sector, to date, has received only 13.3% of funding required. WHO is looking to all of its partners for their continued and valued support.
Related links
News
WHO and KSRelief renew partnership to continue sustaining Yemen’s health system
A new WHO-KSRelief partnership to support the delivery of essential health services in Yemen
Features
WHO partners with KSrelief to enhance the quality of health care in Yemen | Arabic
A fighting chance for children born prematurely in Yemen | Arabic
Essential Health Services Project, supported by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, is a lifeline for millions across Yemen | Arabic
Videos
Supporting Yemen's health system to meet most urgent health needs | Arabic
WHO in Yemen in 2021: partnership with purpose