By Dr Osama Darweesh WHO Country Office in Yemen

Visit to the blood bank at Al Thawra Hospital in Hodeida.Photo credit: WHO Yemen

28 October 2024, Yemen – Almost a decade since the onset of conflict in Yemen and the country is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. The conflict has devastated the health system, bringing it to the brink of collapse. The humanitarian aid and support provided by WHO, health partners and donors are crucial to sustaining Yemen’s national health system and keeping it operational.

As a supply chain officer in WHO Yemen, I oversee the delivery of lifesaving supplies to the communities in Yemen that need them most. Through World Bank-financed projects such as the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project, the Yemen COVID-19 Response Project and the Emergency Human Capital Project, we have provided essential supplies and equipment for the past 7 years. These interventions are vital to deliver lifesaving services to the people of Yemen and prevent the collapse of the health system.

One of our key activities is supplying essential medical and non-medical items to health facilities across Yemen, including governorate, district and sub-district hospitals; health centres and units; COVID-19 isolation units; diarrhoea treatment centres; national central public health laboratories and blood banks. The wide range of supplies provided by WHO includes medical equipment, medicines, vaccines, pharmaceutical products, consumables, personal protective equipment, infection prevention and control materials, laboratory reagents, oxygen, water and fuel.

The work environment in Yemen is fraught with daily challenges. We face safety and security issues, distribution hurdles, limits on access, local market supply shortages, price fluctuations and demand that exceeds suppliers’ production capacity. We also face challenges in obtaining permits and approvals from authorities in Yemen and other countries for the transport of goods. Complex regulations and coordination mechanisms and geographic and cold chain challenges compound the problems.

WHO warehouse in Sana’a. .Photo credit: WHO Yemen

Despite these obstacles, thanks to cooperation with our partners in Yemen and globally, WHO ensures that essential supplies reach communities when and where they are needed.

The partnership between WHO and the World Food Programme’s (WFP) supply chain teams exemplifies our collective efforts to overcome the challenges. Together, we import supplies into Yemen and distribute fuel to 143 hospitals each month, ensuring they can power lifesaving equipment like incubators and ventilators. We reach some of the most remote parts of Yemen, supplying fuel to hospitals and health facilities so they can continue to function.

At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, and during the emergency phase in Yemen, our supply chain team faced some of its toughest moments, working against the clock to deliver lifesaving supplies to COVID-19 isolation units across Yemen. I felt immense pride reading reports of patients being treated and discharged from these units, knowing that we had played a part in their recovery.

During field visits to hospitals, I saw sick children being treated with medicines provided by WHO and heard the appreciation of health workers at WHO-supported health facilities. Witnessing the tangible impact of our lifesaving supplies on the ground made me proud to be part of these efforts.

It is an honour to be part of the United Nations’ efforts to save lives and support the health system in Yemen. But there is a long way to go. Millions of people are in need of support.

Fuel provision to health facilities in coordination with WFP.Photo credit: WFP Yemen

WHO and the World Bank have established a strategic partnership to address critical health needs in Yemen where one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises continues to unfold. This collaboration focuses on delivering essential medical supplies, equipment and support to health facilities across the country. Our goal is to overcome the complex challenges posed by the conflict and ensure that lifesaving services reach the most vulnerable communities in Yemen.