29 September 2021 – “Imagine a mother handing over her own child to you and saying, “This is my child, she is sick, please take care of her”, said Najat Saleh, a neonatal health specialist at the Al Sadakah hospital in Aden governorate. 

Najat began working at Al Sadakah hospital in 1986, joining its neonatal care department in early 2021. “As a mother, moving into this department I feel like I’m with my own children,” she said. “I try my best to care for them and to be worthy of the trust that their mothers place in me.” 

To improve the quality of care for babies born premature or sick, the WHO country office in Yemen, in partnership with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, has trained 94 neonatal care nurses and midwives from 19 district hospitals. The training focused on essential and life-saving care for newborns, especially in the most critical first hours after birth.

“We must provide intensive and urgent medical care to newborns with very weak immunity,” said Najat, one of the 94 health workers receiving this training, “This can start from the very first minutes after birth.”

“I learned how to monitor the babies’ vital signs and how to save their lives,” Dr Najat explained. “If their condition requires, we refer them directly to the incubators where they are given medications and oxygen until they stabilize.”

This training was the first of its kind in Yemen, and is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2 target of ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age to at least as low as 12 per 1000 live births. Currently in Yemen, most recent data are from 2013, when 26 deaths per 1000 live births and conditions were reported. 

“I am now much more aware of the reasons why and how newborn children become sick, and the medications that must be given correctly, according to their weight,” said Dr Najat. 

“I am now much more aware of the reasons for why and how newborn children become sick, and the medications that must be given correctly, according to their weight,” Dr Najat. 

Al Sadakah hospital receives infants from Taiz, Al Dhalea and Hudyadah. Most critical cases are often received from rural villages and may require up to a month of continuous treatment and care until recovery.

 “This training is critical for us,” said Dr Mohammed Salim, a physician from Shabwah governorate. “I want to transfer the knowledge that I have gained to health workers especially in rural areas to save babies’ lives, including with cardiopulmonary resuscitation if critically needed.” 

“I want to transfer the knowledge that I have gained to health workers especially in rural areas to save babies’ lives, including with cardiopulmonary resuscitation if critically needed.” Dr Mohammed Salim.

This training is part of the Essential Health Services project funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre. The project aims to provide quality and efficient health care services at 19 health facilities across Yemen. 

“I’m thankful for this opportunity,” concluded Dr Mohammed. “Now I can better care for babies to save more of their lives.” 

Al Sadaqa hospital, Aden. Thabit is one of the health care workers on the frontlines responding to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic

7 September 2021 – Thabit Ali is a health care worker at at Al Sadaqqa hospital in Aden, where he has been working for the past 4 years. When the hospital’s isolation unit became operational, Thabit was one of the first to begin working with COVID-19 patients. Much to his family’s concern, he insisted on helping patients in dire need of care.

“During the beginning of the pandemic, my family and I were concerned that my work required my close contact with people with COVID-19,” Thabit said. “But I chose to continue working, and I am glad I did. We continue to ensure infection prevention measures are in place, including PPE (personal protective equipment) and self-isolation measures.” 

As of 23 August 2021, 7509 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1418 associated deaths have been reported in Yemen. Yet the actual numbers of cases and deaths are under-reported and could be much higher. Other spreading infectious diseases, linked to Yemen’s ongoing conflict and a destroyed health infrastructure, present further major challenges to Thabit and other frontline health workers.

“I want to help patients feel safe and alleviate their emotional and physical suffering. The state of mind of the patient is critical, as it also can affect their physical well-being,” said Thabit.  

“There is a significant burden on public hospitals such as Al Sadaqqah, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those challenges could be as simple as lacking oxygen, medicines and essential medical and non-medical supplies.” 

The COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Planning Project funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has been a cornerstone of the COVID-19 pandemic response led by WHO and the Health Cluster in Yemen, in coordination with health authorities.  This project has so far reached 4500 COVID-19 patients across the country with health services. In addition, capacity-building has been conducted for 170 health care workers and 28 isolation units are able to function with continued supplies of lifesaving medications, medical equipment and medical supplies to support the COVID-19 response. The project is also supporting COVID-19 testing laboratories with equipment and essential testing materials. 

“I would like to extend my gratitude on behalf of the hospital, the health workers and patients to WHO and KSrelief for the continued support to the COVID-19 response,” said Thabit. “They have provided us with ventilators, medical supplies and medicines. In addition, with supplies of PPE to protect health staff.” 

Sana'a, 23 August 2021 – The World Health Organization (WHO) country office in Yemen denies what has been reported in some local media concerning the 2020 suspension of the “medical airbridge” project for Yemeni patients.

The WHO Yemen country office also wishes to clarify the following points about this project:

This project was implemented by WHO in Yemen in 2020 with funding from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The role of WHO-Yemen was limited to supervision, coordination and arrangement of accommodation and treatment for patients and their companions. 

This project did not fall within the usual activities of WHO as they are implemented in 193 countries around the world. Rather, the project was exceptionally implemented in Yemen in cooperation with OCHA, as agreed with the two ministries of health working in the north and south of Yemen, and with strictly controlled funding from donor countries.

The process of selecting patients was conducted with the Higher Medical Committee of the Ministry of Public Health and Population in Sana’a, independently of any WHO involvement. 

The total cost of this project was approximately US$ 6.5 million, including all costs of transporting patients and their families from different governorates to the capital, in addition to the costs of treatment, examination, accommodation and subsistence in the capital's five-star hotels. The patients and families were originally scheduled to stay in these hotels for only two days; however, these stays were extended to more than six months as the result of obstacles raised by internal and external parties. These obstacles effectively blocked all arrangements and efforts made by WHO in Yemen to expedite the travel of these patients for treatment abroad, as had been originally intended, scheduled, and expected to take place. 

Medical services were arranged and provided to Yemeni patients on their first trip to foreign hospitals. In Amman, Jordan, the costs of these services extended over more than a year of treatments, totalling approximately US$ 4.8 million and depleting all remaining project funds. 

Most of these patients returned to Yemen at the end of their medical treatments; however, some sought political asylum in Jordan rather than returning to Yemen voluntarily. 

Despite continual efforts made by WHO in Yemen to secure funding needed to continue this project, donor countries were unwilling to fund any more flights for patients from all regions of Yemen to receive medical services anywhere outside the country. 

Since the 1940s, the WHO Yemen country office has been providing financed health assistance to the people of Yemen, in agreement and coordination with national health authorities. This assistance has included medical services, equipment, supplies, medicines, vaccination and control campaigns for many diseases during the past 80 years. WHO has not and will not compromise this assistance in any way, at any time, while continuing to assist all Yemeni citizens wherever and however this is possible, now and in the future. 

Having clarified the above points about the 2020 suspension of the “medical airbridge” project for Yemeni patients, the WHO country office calls on all media to be responsible, credible and accurate when reporting the news.