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IOM: 19.7m Yemenis lack basic health services

November 5, 2019 at 11:52 am

Cholera-infected patients receive medical treatment at a hospital in Sana’a, Yemen on 1 April 2019 [Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency]

The United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said yesterday that 19.7 million people in Yemen lack basic health services.

The IOM office in Yemen said on Twitter that its health team last week conducted about 24,500 medical consultations for men, women and children in Yemen in cooperation with the Japanese government and other partners.

The UN agency’s report comes as the health sector in Yemen suffers from severe deterioration due to the worsening armed conflict between pro-government forces and Houthi group who have taken control of many provinces including the capital Sanaa since September 2014.

Since March 2015, a Saudi-led military coalition has been waging war against the Houthis. The coalition’s operations have worsened the health status in the country and led to the outbreak of epidemics and diseases and the closure of a large number of health facilities.

According to a leading database project that has been monitoring the conflict, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED), the war in Yemen has now killed more than 100,000.

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