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ICRC warns of collapse of dialysis treatment in Yemen

April 19, 2018 at 3:26 am

Children are seen in front of makeshift tents at Darwan refugee camp in Amran north of Sana’a, Yemen on 11 April 2018 [Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency]

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday warned of a complete collapse of the health situation of patients with kidney failure in Yemen.

The warning came during a press conference held by the organization in the interim capital, Aden in cooperation with the Yemeni Ministry of Health.

“The health situation of patients with kidney failure is on the verge of collapse unless the Yemeni government and local and international organizations accelerate help to save the lives of thousands of patients” it said.

The head of the ICRC Delegation in Aden, Carlos Batallas said on the sidelines of the conference that 25 percent of kidney failure patients in Yemen die every year due to lack of treatment, as well as the deterioration of the general health situation in the country.

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“We were keen to hold a press conference to highlight the suffering of patients with kidney failure, and to mobilize support at the local and international levels to save what can be saved” he said, adding that thousands of Yemenis could face death, unless the country’s 32 dialysis centres received support.

According to the official, the organization currently supports 5 dialysis centres in the governorates of Sana’a, Mahweet, Hajjah, Aden and Shabwa, however this support will end in December.

Previous statistics from the Yemeni Ministry of Health indicates that nearly 5,000 people suffer from kidney failure and that one third of them lacks access to health care due to the conflict in the country.

Four out of the country’s 32 dialysis centres have shut down while the remaining 28 suffer problems in providing services due to lack of equipments and not paying the workers’ wages.