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In Yemen, WHO-supported frontliners deliver hope at the start of life
26 October 2025, Aden, Yemen – In the heart of Aden, where conflict, fragility and a crumbling health system converge, 2 health care heroes – Ashwaq Saeed and Hind Hadi – are quietly rewriting the story of maternal and newborn survival. Each day, at Al-Sadaqa Teaching Hospital, they struggle against the odds to give every newborn the best possible start in life.
Ashwaq Saeed, Supervisor of the Midwifery Department and Head of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Ward, started at Al-Sadaqa as a volunteer. Her role soon evolved into a life-defining mission.
“Midwifery isn’t just about delivering babies,” says Ashwaq. “It’s about being present at the most vulnerable and beautiful moment in a family’s life.”
In a health system where only 50% of facilities are fully functional and maternal and neonatal mortality rates are alarmingly high, Ashwaq’s passion fills a critical gap. She and her team face a near constant scarcity of supplies, workforce shortages and low community awareness, yet she finds ingenious ways to adapt.
“We store surplus supplies for emergencies and we educate mothers whenever we can,” says Ashwaq. But to improve outcomes, she adds, more investment in training and equipment is urgently needed.
In the adjacent neonatal unit Hind Hadi, a nurse with over 12 years of experience, manages the care of premature and critically ill newborns. “We receive babies not just from the emergency department but from across other governorates,” she says. “Sometimes we simply don’t have enough beds.”
Her unit battles overcrowding daily, yet her commitment never wavers. “The joy in a mother’s eyes when her child recovers, it’s indescribable. That’s when I know our work truly matters,”
Ashwaq and Hind’s courage and commitment may fill some of the gaps, but without systemic change, training and resources, these health care workers are being stretched beyond their limits. Frontline dedication alone is not enough.
Recognizing these challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a decisive role in strengthening Yemen’s maternal and newborn care through the introduction of Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC), a package of evidence-based lifesaving interventions during delivery and the early newborn period designed to prevent the most common causes of newborn mortality – hypothermia, asphyxia and infections – through low-cost, high-impact practices like immediate skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping and early initiation of breastfeeding.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health and Population, WHO conducted Yemen’s first EENC coaching for facilitators in June 2022, beginning with Al-Sadaqa Hospital.
Baseline assessments prior to the EENC coaching revealed alarming shortcomings in current practice. Many newborns were being separated from their mothers immediately after birth. Skin-to-skin contact and thorough drying were rarely performed. Harmful routines such as early cord clamping and routine suctioning were widespread.
The WHO-supported coaching proved transformative. Staff knowledge scores for managing breathing babies jumped from 0% to 96%, and for non-breathing babies from 36% to 93%. A total of 28 facilitators and staff from 4 hospitals were trained, including Ashwaq and Hind. Both now serve as EENC champions within their departments.
Hind, who had been managing her unit’s overwhelming caseload with limited equipment, now has the technical tools to respond faster and more effectively to emergencies. Ashwaq, empowered by new techniques and protocols, is pushing for changes in hospital policies and advocating for increased recognition of midwives in her community.
The transformation is human as well as technical. EENC has reinvigorated cooperation between paediatricians, obstetricians and nurses. It has restored a sense of agency to health workers that had long been overshadowed by systemic failure.
Sustaining this progress requires more than one-off trainings. As WHO continues to scale up EENC in other hospitals, including Al Sha’ab, Al Razi and Ibn Khaldoun, consistent supplies of coaching materials and medical equipment, as well as policy backing, are vital. Support is also needed to address infrastructure challenges such as the absence of proper resuscitation spaces near delivery rooms, and to ensure mothers have clothing that allows skin-to-skin contact.
Today, it is frontline champions like Ashwaq and Hind who carry WHO’s vision forward. But they cannot do it alone.
Yemen’s health system is still under-resourced, leaving newborn lives at risk. Sustained donor support is urgently needed to expand lifesaving interventions like EENC across the country. By investing in these local heroes and the systems that support them we not only save lives – we restore dignity and hope to families across Yemen.
Every child deserves the chance to take their first breath in safe hands.
WHO and UAE launch joint programme to reduce malnutrition among Yemenis on Socotra Island
01 June 2025 – The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Government of the United Arab Emirates through the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Work (an affiliate of Erth Zayed Philanthropies), and in close coordination with Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP), has launched a comprehensive programme to combat malnutrition in Socotra, a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean.
Socotra is facing malnutrition challenges driven by food insecurity, as well as repeated outbreaks of cholera, measles and dengue fever. Health and nutrition services are critically under-resourced, placing children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women at extreme risk of preventable illness and death.
The island’s more than 83 000 residents are served by 32 health facilities which are under immense strain. It lacks a central public health laboratory, a functional drug warehouse and a medical prepositioning system, all of which are essential for timely emergency response and sustainable health care delivery.
The fragile health system suffers from a lack of skilled health personnel, essential medicines and emergency readiness mechanisms. Maternal health indicators are alarming, with 92.7% of pregnant women anemic and antenatal care attendance low. Around 37% of children have yet to receive a single vaccine dose. The global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate stands at 10.9% and the severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate at 1.6%, indicating a serious public health emergency.
“This programme reflects a joint commitment by WHO and the UAE to improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, particularly mothers and children, while reinforcing healthcare systems in crisis-affected areas. In partnership with national authorities, we are working to create more resilient, equitable, and responsive health services for the people of Socotra, establishing a foundation for long-term health security on the island and contributing to a stronger and healthier Yemen,” said Acting WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo.
The initiative began with a baseline health and nutrition survey conducted between 24 and 30 May 2025. Over the next two, years the project aims to reduce mortality related to poor health and malnutrition by 20% through an integrated health system strengthening approach. The project aims to:
enhance maternal and child health service coverage in 80% of health facilities within the next 24 months;
strengthen outbreak preparedness and disaster risk reduction by equipping health care facilities and build staff capacity so they can respond effectively to epidemic-prone diseases and cyclone-related emergencies;
establish a multisectoral health and nutrition coordination platform that enables quarterly strategic planning meetings between WHO, UAE, MoPHP and partners;
generate real-time evidence-based data through the baseline health and nutrition survey conducted between 24 and 30 May 2025; and
strengthen routine health information reporting/ system to track progress on service utilization, morbidity and mortality.
“H.E. Mohamed Haji Al Khouri, Director General of the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Work, stressed the UAE’s humanitarian and global responsibility to develop communities and enhance critical health services. “This stems from the enduring humanitarian legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. We are determined to effectively address food and health challenges faced by women and children in Socotra, in collaboration with the WHO,” he said.
Al Khouri explained that the Khalifa Foundation, an affiliate of Erth Zayed Philanthropies, would work with the WHO to develop appropriate solutions to nutritional and health challenges using a new survey based on current data. “The joint initiative aims to reduce maternal and child mortality caused by malnutrition through a comprehensive plan of action. This will enhance maternal, infant, and child care services, and improve emergency preparedness and response to epidemics,” he added.“
For media inquiries, please contact:
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About WHO
Since 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been the United Nations agency dedicated to advancing health for all, so that everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage, direct and coordinate the world’s responses to health emergencies and connect nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.
Restoring immunity by reaching every child: Yemen reinforces immunization
16 March 2026, Aden, Yemen – Amid one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises, Yemen has reinforced its national immunization system and successfully interrupted variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) transmission in the south.
Between 2024 and 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO), with financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), delivered comprehensive technical and operational assistance to the Ministry of Public Health and Population. This support strengthened the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and the national Polio programme.
A health worker marks a child’s finger during a community vaccination campaign
A total of 18,832 immunization staff were trained to enhance routine services and 800 polio and vaccine-preventable diseases personnel trained to improve surveillance, outbreak investigation and sample management capacities. Laboratories in Aden, Sana’a and Taiz received nearly US$ 1 million in essential supplies to improve sample storage and testing, and laboratory workforce capacities were strengthened with continuous training.
Faced with the threat of cVDPV2 transmission, the response was swift and coordinated. WHO supported the rollout of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), training over 9000 vaccinators and deploying more than 7,000 vaccination teams. Two nationwide vaccination rounds in 2024 achieved 100% coverage. They were followed by 2 additional 100% coverage rounds in 2025, protecting millions of children and expanding access to vitamin A supplementation.
Community health volunteer Ahlam Ahmed visits households to support vaccination efforts
“When the outbreak began, we knew we could not afford delays. We went door to door, sometimes walking for hours to reach children in remote villages and displacement sites. Every child vaccinated meant one more family protected and brought us one step closer to stopping the virus,” said community health volunteer Ahlam Ahmed.
Reaching those previously unreached was central to the success of the initiative. During 9 integrated outreach rounds across 12 southern governorates, 7620 health workers travelled to remote valleys, mountain settlements and displacement sites.
These efforts reached 542,183 children under 5, including 119,702 zero-dose children. More than 222,120 pentavalent doses and 184 063 measles vaccines were administered, helping close long-standing immunity gaps.
In northern Yemen, outreach services resumed for the first time in more than 3 years. In 2025, 2.2 million measles-rubella vaccinations were delivered alongside integrated child, maternal and nutrition consultation services.
Behind these statistics are families whose confidence in health services is being rebuilt.
“For months, we lived in fear of disease spreading among our children. When the vaccination teams arrived, I did not hesitate. I made sure my children were vaccinated immediately. Protecting them is my responsibility. I encourage every parent to vaccinate their children. Every dose brings us closer to a healthier, safer future for all,” said Abdullah Raged.
These successes have been made possible by the unwavering commitment of national health authorities and the support of WHO’s donors and partners whose investments enabled workforce training, surveillance strengthening, laboratory improvements, extensive outreach campaigns and the rapid deployment of lifesaving vaccines.
The work must continue. In a health landscape shaped by conflict, displacement and system fragility, millions of children remain vulnerable to vaccine‑preventable diseases. Sustained and flexible donor support is essential to maintain immunization coverage, close remaining immunity gaps, sustain robust surveillance and ensure every child receives lifesaving vaccines.
With continued partnership and solidarity, Yemen can secure a polio‑free future for its children.
Yemen introduces a national emergency medicine diploma to address the critical shortage of specialists
11 March 2026, Aden, Yemen – After a decade of conflict, Yemen’s health system is severely strained.
In the face of enormous challenges and overwhelming needs, health care workers remain at the heart of the system, continuing to serve on the front lines. They are the lifeline that keeps hospitals and emergency services functioning. But the critical shortage of specialized emergency physicians limits hospitals’ ability to provide timely, lifesaving care.
Strengthening emergency response across Yemen. Photo credit: WHO Yemen
As of 2026, approximately 23.1 million Yemenis require humanitarian assistance and protection services, with projections indicating more than half of the population will remain in crisis or emergency conditions, underscoring the critical need to invest in the workers that sustain the health system.
To help address this gap, WHO Yemen, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and the Yemeni Medical Council for Specialties, supported the launch of Yemen’s first Postgraduate Diploma in Emergency Medicine in Aden on 12 April 2025 via the Emergency Human Capital project funded by The World Bank.
The initiative strengthens national institutional capacity by embedding the curriculum within Yemen’s own medical educational system, delivered through the Yemeni Medical Council for Specialties. By collaborating with national institutions and accredited bodies, the programme ensures emergency medicine specialization is locally led and sustainably integrated into health workforce development.
Health workers receive emergency care response training in the intensive care unit. Photo credit: WHO Yemen
The landmark 9-month programme enrolled 25 physicians from public hospitals across southern governorates, including facilities in rural and underserved areas. The training, which combined theoretical instruction with hands-on clinical rotations in emergency rooms and intensive and cardiac care units, equipped participants with the skills needed to manage critical emergency conditions, including trauma, infectious diseases and mass casualty incidents.
The programme represents a long-term investment in Yemen’s health workforce, helping establish a national pool of qualified emergency medicine professionals to serve vulnerable populations. By strengthening physicians’ skills, the diploma enhances the quality and timeliness of lifesaving emergency care services in public hospitals, building institutional capacity.
As Yemen continues to face one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises, strengthening the health workforce is vital to sustaining critical health services.
Initiatives such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Emergency Medicine help ensure that hospitals can continue delivering lifesaving care under challenging conditions. By investing in national capacity, WHO and its partners are supporting Yemen’s path towards a more resilient health system capable of responding to emergencies and saving lives.
